


The Thief and the Frozen Heart

by MegaTank



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crime, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Mystery, Thief Anna, Unrelated Anna/Elsa (Frozen)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-04-25 05:13:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 80,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4948012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaTank/pseuds/MegaTank
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arendelle Port City. A safe, secure place to live and work.. And yet, Elsa Fresia ekes out a meager living as a Private Investigator. Her life is thrust into chaos with the arrival of the notorious jewel thief known only as Phantom Red, bringing back her past and a conspiracy beyond imagining.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Night of Tears

Arendelle Port City. Once little more than a humble trading post, a waypoint for travellers and sailors to barter goods and coin. Of course, wherever there was goods and coin, the people inevitably followed. Through a series of deals and wealthy investors, Arendelle went from a flea market to a respected business capital. Where there were money, goods and people, crime wasn't far behind. Where most came to the city to buy and sell goods and services, many more came to profit through less fair means. Theft, fraud, smuggling, embezzlement, robbery. The city had seen its fair share of all of them.

When it seemed all but sure that the city would descend into a pit of vice, the advent of police and security forces marked a turning point in the war against both organised and opportunistic crime. People worked day and night to investigate and fight back against the people who strived to profit from that which was not rightfully theirs. In the end, it was not the severity of punishment for one's crimes that made even the most hardened criminals pause. It was the certainty.

Rumor has it there were still a few splinter groups left out there that had slipped through the cracks. No one knew for sure.

* * *

_E. Fresia_

_Private Investigator_

So read the plaque adorning the door to the office Elsa had rented. She had been rather reluctant to have it installed over the perfectly serviceable nameplate the owner had stuck besides the door. People came to her to help solve sensitive issues, not for an "authentic" experience. Elsa eventually acquiesced when her assistant Adam had persuaded her that it might at least raise awareness of her services to anyone who may happen to pass by. Even though private investigators were a rarity in the city, the clientele were hardly in abundance either.

In this city, when you wanted something looked into and the police wouldn't assist you, that was when you would seek out a private investigator. Which was a nice way of saying that they basically got the table scraps. Arendelle's police force was spread far and wide across the city, vigilant for any signs of criminal activity, and they were rarely wanting for funding. Which was more than Elsa could say for herself.

The office was one of many within a building that went fifteen stories above the ground, standing on the edge of Hezel, one of Arendelle's largest shopping districts. The place she had set up was a pair of rooms on the third floor which was, for a lack of a better word, bland. Dark blue carpet that made you itch if you touched it, grey walls, white ceiling tiles. Elsa didn't need anything with a bow wrapped around it. It would suffice that it got the job done.

With that in mind, she composed a quick email to her current client, reviewing her current findings. A few individuals would likely end up losing their jobs for this, but if they were going to act unprofessionally and outside of their guidelines, that was on them. Elsa had no sympathy for tomfoolery, nor the patience to pretend otherwise. Which was why she had eventually implemented an hourly fee for her services.

Elsa had finished her draft. Send. Print. The printer whirred to life, committing a copy of the day's work to paper. Once the papers were filed away, she checked the time. Four-fifty. After sitting there, pondering for a couple of minutes, she shut down the computer and donned her dark grey trenchcoat.

"Hey, you heading out already?" asked Adam as Elsa closed the door behind her. He was about the same age as her, and Elsa couldn't help but like him in spite of his eternally unkempt brown hair and "I've got a secret" expression. She had hired him not too long after setting the place up, and he had more than earned his keep.

Elsa looked around briefly, then nodded at him. "I have wrapped up the Worthing accounts case. And we don't appear to have any other clients in waiting." It was true. All the seats they had been provided with laid empty. If Elsa, and, by extension, Adam, hadn't been so meticulous, they probably would have been gathering dust.

Adam held up a hand, shaking his head. "Wait wait wait. You solved it  _already_? How did you manage that? Last I checked, the banks don't even give people like us the time of day."

A shadow of a smile appeared on her lips. "It's all in how you sell it. Normally they would stonewall us, yes. But when I came to them with my concerns, I brought them around. Even for a case like this, no self-respecting organisation wants to appear complicit with accusations of fraud and such."

Adam only nodded. That almost certainly wasn't all there was to it, but he knew too well about Elsa's  _way_ with words. He didn't want to be at the business end of them any time soon. "So, what did you find, anyway?"

Elsa sighed. The whole thing was a bit of a farce. "By the looks of things, the accounts department isn't actually involved in embezzlement. They were simply trying out an alternative bank to improve the company's profits. All the secrecy about it was so they could take the credit for the idea later." She shook her head. "I'm willing to bet the company would overlook them going against procedure when they find out how their finances were improving."

Adam laughed a little. "Only they ended up suspecting one of their employees of full on corruption."

"Exactly. It's imperative that our client finds out what's really going on immediately so he can put his fears to rest." She looked out the window. Some salaryman out there would have a few choice words at the very least coming his way when the next business day came round. Many of her cases seemed to end this way, even if most of them came from jealous lovers suspecting infidelity (which was already a clear sign to Elsa that the relationship was on the rocks).

Adam was working away on the keyboard. "Okay, I'll send the invoice just as soon as you've confirmed the client is satisfied."

"Thank you." Elsa tugged on the collar of her trenchcoat. "Now, will that be all?"

He reached into one of the draws and pulled out a newspaper than had been folded out about halfway through. "Here."

Elsa perused the page that he had put in front of her:

_Night of Tears_

_Starting tomorrow morning, one of the ten treasures of Albernon will be on public display at the Museum of Bellisi Arts. The Tear of the Goddess, a beautifully crafted sapphire dating from over three thousand years ago has been fully restored and will be available to see for one week only. The Tear is estimated at a value of over $100m (88m Euro) owing to its exceptional rarity and the quality and style of craftsmanship. The curator has stated…_

"What is this about? Did someone from the museum call?" Elsa asked, peering over the paper.

"No, nothing like that." She became aware that his breathing had become slightly irregular. "I was- I was just wondering if you'd like to go take a look with me."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. It was an innocent enough request, sure. But how far would he try and take it? Time for some evasive maneuvers. "Sorry, I don't think I can afford-"

"It's free to enter," he cut in, pointing back at the article.

She glared at the page. Of course it was. "Well, I," Elsa stammered. She needed something. "I have some arrangements already. I almost forgot."

"You don't forget anything,  _boss_." Adam tutted. "Staying at home and knitting doesn't count, you know."

He had some nerve."How I choose to spend my free time is none of your concern." Elsa grimaced slightly. "You are  _not_ my father."

Elsa's anger faded somewhat as she noticed a concerned look on his face. "No. I'm your friend. Aren't I?"

Regardless of his intentions, he had no right to butt into her personal life, or criticise how she chose to spend it "Adam Tobias Malkin, you are my employee. If you have a problem with that arrangement-"

He bolted up. If Elsa was surprised, she didn't show it."Fine!" he snapped, snatching back the paper. "Forget I said anything." He dropped the paper back into its drawer and slammed it shut, before going back to his typing.

Elsa stood there, now unsure which of them had crossed the line first. She soon decided that now wasn't the time. "Have a good weekend." With that, she turned and left.

"What? Oh, yeah, right," Adam muttered, without even looking.

* * *

Elsa made her way through the streets, replaying that conversation in her head while cursing herself at the same time. And not just because there were more productive ways to spend her introspection during her walk home. Adam was her employee, and professionally he was all but above reproach. He had performed his duties to the letter, as she would not settle for any less. And yet, the moment it came time to clock out he would try time and again to chip away at the shell she had erected around herself.

It wasn't his fault. None of it was. She just couldn't gage his intentions. And as long as it remained that way, she would stay the course, continuing to push him back. Okay, perhaps it wasn't so much that she couldn't tell what he was thinking so much as she had lost her trust in her ability to judge the people close to her. The whole thing gave her a headache. When the time came and she took the time to analyse her situation, it was a sorry state indeed. Twenty-five was far too soon an age to be tired of life. Maybe time would heal her. Maybe her work would. She was never sure.

She crossed the shopping district and closed in on the tower block where she resided. Arendelle had no real "wrong side of town," but Elsa was certain this was the place that came the closest. While the police force had improved most of the city's image, this wasn't the place where most looked when they sought out the sights in Arendelle. Major crimes were still kept in check here, but petty crime was fair game. Every other week there was some piece of vandalism or graffiti that had popped up overnight, and it was never very pleasant for anyone, save the perpetrator. Elsa had reached a conclusion regarding the residents: no one was really here by choice. But someone had to do the dirty work.

After sticking fast a couple of times, the key turned and Elsa was back home. As pristine as ever. Which was as much as she could make it. There was little she could do about the paint starting to crack off of the walls, but everything else was in perfect order. Elsa stopped herself in front of her mirror. There was a streak in her jet black hair that seemed to be fading. Already? No way could she leave that as it was.

First order of business was to freshen up. Even in the midst of November in a sparsely heated office it was rather easy to start perspiring. Then came the inevitable hair work. Els was not going to let it lose it's colour from stress. Not on her watch. And finally, something quick to eat. In this case it was some instant noodles. Nothing too filling, that would just made her lethargic.

 _Now_ , she could get down to business. Elsa sat down in her navy nightgown and pulled her laptop open, waiting for it to whirr into life. She didn't plan for this to take long, though quietly she had hoped for it.

"No messages." So much for that. The trail was as cold as the nights in Arendelle were now. Nothing to add to the nexus of information she had pinned to her bedroom. Was she really chasing after phantoms? Trying to catch smoke with her bare hands? Perish the thought.

She slapped the laptop shut. There were simpler, more accessible problems that she could deal with. Her professional relationship was at risk of becoming unprofessional. Regardless of whose fault it was, there will almost certainly be some resentment hanging in the air. Only one remedy she could think of. She took a plastic bag and sat down beside the window looking outside the main room.

She picked through the back. Royal blue? No, it was almost always royal blue. And she had almost depleted her supply of wool. Red? Did Adam like red? She had never thought to ask. It couldn't hurt to try it. She took out her pair of needles and got to work. The first few stitches were tricky, but past that it was quite easy to do without too much thought. Come the following Monday, she would at least have something to placate him with. A nice scarf would keep him cosy through the next few months. And while she was working, she could partake in her second favourite hobby: people watching.

At first, she had hoped for an apartment higher up in the tower. As it had turned out, the second floor was the perfect place for her to watch people walk by. There was the businessman she had been accustomed to seeing, with a haggard look. Either he  _really_ loved his job, or perhaps he was a pushover compared to his boss. Hopefully he would have something nice to come home to. Another hapless tourist wandered by. Had she taken the wrong bus, or was she hoping to see all of the city. Elsa smiled a little. At least someone out there saw the side none of the brochures wanted them to. Her smile soon faded on the next sighting. A young, cutesy couple, sidled up close together holding hands. Sure it was alright for them. Must have been real nice to meet your "soul mate" so soon.

Elsa looked down at her work. She had gone one stitch too far. She nearly snapped the needles. How had she gotten so careless? She threw down her work and started to pace the room. Why was it so many of her evenings had ended with her wanting to do nothing at all? Grabbing her trenchcoat, she eventually settled on an evening stroll. Anything had to be more interesting than this.

* * *

On the nicer side of town (but not too nice), a black van cruised through the city's many back streets. No one who saw it paid it much mind. Probably some cops sleuthing, right? Wrong. Well, on the cops part, anyway. While some people winded down and turned in for the night, others were just getting started.

The were two people in the back of the van. One man, one woman. Both of them dressed head to toe in black. He had almost shaven black hair and a small scar under his left eye, she had green eyes and a mop of red hair mostly obscured by a woolen hat. While the man fiddled with the gizmos that took up one half of the back, the young woman lay down on the seating that took up the other.

"Ahhhh," the woman stretched her arms and rubbed her eyes. "So, we there yet?"

"Not yet, Red," the man said, still fixed on what must have been about a hundred screens. "But since you're up, we might as well go through the briefing."

Red folded her arms. "This again? Come on, Rex." Rex probably wasn't his real name. Then again, Red probably wasn't  _her_ real name. Give and take. "You already told me about the cameras and the locks, right? And I even got your copy of the blueprints. I should be fine."

Rex gave something between a grumble and a growl. "This is important, Red! Every place we go to has its own security quirks. You have to listen or you might get caught out!"

She rolled her eyes. "If I were an amateur, maybe. Besides, this is just like those plane safety videos. They all say they're different, but they never are."

Oh, how Rex hated these missions. He was never assigned to be a babysitter, that task had just sort of snuck in there. He took a breath. "Listen to me. This isn't a game. You only need to get caught once and everything I've- _we've_ been working on will be in trouble. Understand?"

"Fine, but I'm not gonna get caught. You know why? Cause  _I'm Phantom Red_." Red made a whooshing sound for effect.

Rex tapped his foot, waiting for her to finish."Yes, and I'm the man who cases the museum, analyses the surveillance, looks up the code locks and biometrics they use, finds out the security guard patrol plan-"

"Yes, yes, I get it! Just get on with it already." Red crossed her arms. The last thing she needed was a pre-lecture on top of the lecture.

Rex nodded. "Yes, okay. Well, I've run a few checks for the best possible point of entry." The briefing went on for about ten minutes. Or it might have been ten thousand. It was difficult to tell. "Any questions?"

Red sat there with a stiff face. For about half a second. "Nope, I'm good."

"Right." Rex handed her another gadget for her belt. "When you've got the Tear, make your way to the extraction point. Give this a push and it's job well done. And remember, we  _absolutely_ cannot let the police get involved in this. As long as you have it before the alarms go off, we should be fine."

Red didn't get up quite yet. "And my pay?"

"Yes, don't worry." Rex sighed. "Tomorrow I'll see about getting you your cut". Now get out there and spirit away that Tear."

Red cracked a wide smile. "Consider it already ours." She jumped out of the back of the van, and found herself outside of the museum's service entrance. About twenty metres away an emergency ladder had been lowered, just as Rex had explained. At least, Red  _thought_ he had explained.  _Booor-ing_. Still, after sitting through that speech, she didn't really feel like ad-libbing this job.

On the roof, she had a choice of several glass domes from which she could enter the museum proper. And a good place to mess up their cameras wouldn't be far off. Red rubbed her gloved hands. When the morning came, the only tears here would be from the curator. And the museum goers. But only if they were  _really_ whiny.


	2. Back in the Saddle

Mondays. Bane of both adults and children alike. That was, unless you were someone like Elsa. This wasn't to say that she lived for her job. She just found it a whole lot simpler than her personal life. People were complex, secretive, and almost impossible to discern. Their deeds were a lot easier to understand. The evidence never lied. Almost anyone could hide who they were, but almost nobody could hide what they had done.

With that, Elsa had figured out a tentative way to discern her assistant's true intentions. If he had truly intended to see the artefact he had talked about up close, then surely he was quite knowledgeable about it. If not, then it was almost certain that he had other intentions. But what exactly? Was he simply concerned for Elsa' wellbeing? Or something else. Blast all of these divergents. Way too many divergents. It would never occur to her to simply ask him what he meant by it. No, far too easy to twist the truth.

Elsa stopped just short of the door. Eight Forty-Five. Deep breath. Nothing to get worked up over. He would come around eventually, scarf or no scarf. She patted her coat furiously. She had forgotten. How could she have forgotten? Now she was the queen of isolation  _and_ otherthinking. She needed some work, fast. She put her key into the lock, and- nothing. It wouldn't budge. Was the door really this dated? Or had someone-

"Oh, hey there, boss." Adam opened the door with Elsa's key still inside. "Thought I would come in early today. Didn't mean to scare you or anything." Elsa found him surprisingly chipper. Of course. She was still beside herself with worry and he'd probably forgotten about the whole thing come Saturday. Typical.

"That's fine. You had a good weekend?" Elsa asked. She just had to know for sure.

Adam shook his head. "Never mind that." Oh gods, here it came. "You're not going to believe this. We got another client already." He was right. That  _was_ hard to believe. Even Adam had accepted that they were a last resort in all but the name. "That's not all, either. This request is from the Bellisi Museum of arts."

The gears whirred in her head.  _Bellisi Museum of Arts_ , the name was familiar. Of course, the exhibition for that Tear. "So, what was the request for?"

Adam sighed. What was his deal today? "You been living under a rock? Here." Another copy of today's paper, only this time on the front page.

Elsa had to rub her eyes. "What?  _Stolen_? How could that possibly be? Arendelle Port City is supposed to be the most secure city in the world." Heist or no heist, even Elsa somehow doubted this.

"Yeah, try telling that to guy who made off with the Tear. Personally, I think it was Phantom Red that did it."

She looked up from the paper. "Really? And who or what exactly is this  _Phantom Red_? The whole thing sounds like sensationalist nonsense."

He seemed to get defensive all of a sudden. "Hey, no need to take it out on me. It's just, I looked into it a bit before you got here. Apparently, this isn't the first time this has happened. One by one, all of the treasures of Albernon have vanished from their rightful owners. All perfect crimes. The first one, the Crest of Falling Sun was taken from a collector in London, and left a calling card that depicted a spectre, cloaked in red. So everyone's taken to calling the thief Phantom Red."

Elsa rubbed her temple. Perfect crimes. Why did that give her a feeling of dread? "But it's all speculation, correct? There's no decisive proof that these are the work of a single person, especially considering there's no proof to begin with."

"Here's what I've found out." he motioned to his computer, where he had several pages of news, blogs and even a fan page for Phantom Red. "There are too many parallels with each of the known thefts. Each time, all of the guards fall unconscious at the same time, and any electronic security either fails to notice anything or blacks out as well. This has happened all over the world, far too many times to be an inside job." He minimized the page. "Look, the curator can probably explain this better than I can. You should head over right away. And before you ask; yes he insists on seeing you in person. He's offered to pay you just for your time."

"I doubt there is much I can do the police have not done already, but I see no harm in humouring him. Just keep things in order here, I will likely be out until the afternoon at least."

She re-adjusted her coat. At least hearing about this now saved her the bother of unpacking for work.

"Will do. I'll see if I can't find anything else about this Phantom Red."

Elsa sighed. Did he really expect to dredge up anything useful that he hadn't already. "Good luck finding anything that isn't steeped in conjecture, or just flat out fabricated."

"Hey, I like to think I've learned a thing or two in my time here. Like not to believe everything I hear." He laughed softly. While technically true, that was basic sleuthing knowledge. Anyone could be a skeptic. It took an expert to see the truth from the lies. Even Elsa doubted herself sometimes.

Time to go. The museum was too far to walk, but the city monorail would take Elsa close enough. It would even give her a glimpse of the morning cityscape.

* * *

"Wake up, Red!"  _Bang, bang, bang_.

She rolled over in bed. "Whu- jus fuh, just five more minutes, please."

"I said,  _wake up!"_ It was even louder this time. That did it. There were a number of things Red could take. Losing her beauty sleep was  _not_ one of them. She had  _repeatedly_ said that losing her beauty sleep was not one of them. "I swear, if you don't-"

The door flew open, smashing into the wall. " _What_?" Rex was the one who stood on the other side, now uncertain whether he had awoken an accomplice or some kind of monster. Red's hair looked more like a bird's nest, and what little of her eyes were open were glaring holes into him.

"You know perfectly well what,  _princess_. The- wait, what have you done with this place?" Rex looked in the modest room which looked absolutely nothing like it had not three days ago. It was meant to be a room for sleeping and little else, but clearly Red was having none of it. The floor was covered in shopping bags, the bed's garish green blanket had been replaced with a full duvet covered in a vibrant pink, and the metal desk now had several glass fragrance bottles and had a round mirror adorning the wall.

"You didn't really expect me to spend  _all_ of the last two days stuck in here, did you? There's this huge department store down the road, just  _begging_ for me to go there. Don't worry, I didn't take anything. This time. And I used cash as well. No one's going to come knocking our door down because some tourist had a little splurge."

Rex looked at all the recent additions. Red certainly didn't do things small. "You really should have asked first."

They stared at each other. Like that would have gotten her anywhere. "Pfft, yeah I thought I'd just save us both some time and go out anyway. You know, keep my skills in top shape."

Rex opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Red's look just told him that anything he said was sure to fall on deaf ears. "At least tell me you got something to wear while you were sneaking out."

"It's like you don't know me at all." Red rummaged through a few of the bags on the floor until she found it. "Ta-da!" It was a full length dress that just about covered the shoulders, and had a bright green colour with flowers all over. "They were having this sale so I asked the man what kind of thing would suit me and he said he had-"

He held up a hand, cutting her short. "I don't need to whole story, Red. You just need something to wear when the boss shows up, remember?"

Red stared at the floor. "The boss, the boss. Wait, you mean the  _boss_ boss?"

"Yes!" He needed a moment to calm down. He very rarely got through a conversation with Red without this happening at some point. "He wants to speak to you at six. So be ready by then. And  _please_ , try not to run off before then, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Can I go back to bed now?" Rex groaned and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Red took that as a yes, and dropped back off not minutes later.

* * *

The museum of Bellisi arts. Similar to many other exhibits around the world, it was never sufficient that the building house numerous works of art. It had to  _be_ a work of art. Or at least, Elsa assumed that was the architect's intent. The building proper was several stories high covered in lustrous white marble, complete with pillars resembling those of the great Greek temples. The stone path to the main entrance has a large fountain people could seat themselves around, complete with a number of hanging abstract shapes moved by the flow of water.

However, none of this was of much interest to her. Elsa was more focused on the number of officers either patrolling or standing guard. It appeared that the museum wasn't cordoned off any longer, but they were still screening any entrants. Had the force completed their investigation already? She could only hope that any inspection she attempted wouldn't be impeded at every turn.

Once past the security checkpoint, the inside was quiet. Even for someone like Elsa who believed that many of the best things in life were enjoyed in the quiet, this seemed off. The exhibit should have been filled with patrons and tourists, admiring the works that had been collected and restored for public appreciation. Instead, the place was reduced to a crime scene, as more officers kept a watchful eye on the areas that were still blocked off. It was time to meet the curator.

* * *

"Oh, it's a travesty! My life is well and truly over." Elsa covered the scowl on her face. The curator would be a handful, that was for sure. There was no mistaking his profession from the brown jacket he wore to the ornate desk and furnishings that filled his office, but now she was beginning to suspect he had missed his calling as an actor. Professional or not, he was still the client, and she felt obliged to at least be polite.

"I imagine this theft constitutes a loss of years of dedicated work." Elsa nodded slowly, steeling her nerves for the lecture she had almost certainly brought upon herself.

The curator gasped. "Finally, my words fall on sympathetic ears. My fellow historians told me of the horrors of losing the treasures of Albernon, but I refused to listen. Oh, hubris, why must you curse me so?"

Elsa wanted to feel sorry for the man. She really did. Even with his over emphasis, his losses were genuine. But she was not a shoulder to cry on. "Why don't you tell me what exactly you want me to do? I would also like to hear a little more detail about why this tear of yours is so valuable." Perfect plan. Meet him halfway.

"Of course, of course. Why don't come along with me. I'd like you to look at where the Tear of the Goddess was due to be displayed." The man rose from his antique chair and opened the door of the office, motioning her to follow.

They walked through the halls, the curators ID tag allowing him to pass by the security forces unchecked. "So, the tear is one of the ten Treasures of Albernon, correct?"

"Precisely. There are a great many remarkable things that can be said for the treasures, so I will try to keep this as brief as possible." Elsa wasn't holding her breath. "Each of the treasures dates back at least three thousand years, though being more precise than that is rather difficult. from what we have been able to piece together, these are the remnants of an ancient civilisation that had managed to spread itself to the four corners of the world."

Elsa stopped. "All over the world? That doesn't seem possible. Not so many years ago."

The curator motioned her forward. "Please, save your questions. Though your doubt is reasonable. To hold dominion over almost the whole world with no technology seems impossible. However, what little remnants we could find all bore the same emblems. We even found evidence they used the same language. There was no way that this could be mere coincidence. What's most telling is the similarities between the ten treasures they left behind. All of them are made from flawless gemstones. All of them show no sign of wear or damage from the collapse or their original civilisation or the thousands of years that followed. But the strangest thing is, for all of our technology and understanding of gems, the way they were cut is impossible for us to emulate."

Elsa pondered the meaning of what she had heard. When she first read that the tear was appraised at one hundred million dollars, she found the notion absurd. But if what he said was true, then there was nothing like these gems anywhere. A notion only slightly less unbelievable. Just who had crafted them, anyway? They had left quite a lot on their plate, as Elsa had just noticed. "You know, I had wondered why when faced with the series of thefts, the owners had not considered using a decoy."

The curator nodded. Elsa realised that the possibility had been considered. "We had been warned that the thieves had a considerable arsenal of technology at their disposal. In order to create a convincing replica, we would need to use gemstones not only of the same quality, but cut perfectly down to the last molecule. This is where even the most learned craftsmen and finest cutting tools have sadly failed."

It was all too clear that she could listen all day and they would only scratch the surface of properties of the treasures. Elsa already had a strong enough grasp on the why at this point. Now it was the found themself at another police barrier.

A man in blue uniform bearing the ACPD logo stopped them. "I'm sorry sir, this area is currently undergoing investigation."

Elsa had expected the curator to force the issue, but apparently even he hung his head in resignation. If Elsa didn't expect to be much use before, then there was no doubt now. The police would surely keep hold of any relevant evidence long before she was allowed to examine the crime scene.

"Elsa, is that you? It is you!" Elsa snapped from her ruminations. The voice was police chief Roe's. He was wearing a white shirt and grey trousers, and despite being almost a whole head taller than her she never felt particularly uncomfortable in his presence. "I must say, I'm intrigued by the new look. What brings you here today?"

"We were expecting to get a look at the crime scene. The curator has requested my help." She sighed quietly. The chief's ability to small talk had not improved a little bit in the past two years. "I suppose we shall have to return later, or perhaps tomorrow."

"Oh, come now. We both know that you won't find much if you wait until then. "If curator Heimer thinks you will be of help, I see no reason to stop you. However, I must ask that he stay put for the time being."

Elsa locked eyes with the curator. "Please, find the Tear. And give those blasted thieves what's coming to them!" He asked.

What was she supposed to say to that? It was unlikely that the perpetrators had left anything remotely incriminating. As good as she was, making promises was sure to invite misfortune. "I assume that is your request of me. I will do what I can. If there is something to find, I will find it."

Heimer bowed, and walked away. The officer on guard lifted the barrier, Elsa exchanged the curator for the chief as a walking and conversational partner. Around them, investigators were still taking pictures of the room.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Elsa. Though in retrospect I shouldn't be surprised. That curator would probably hire the whole city if he thought it might return his artefact."

Now that she had a closer look, she could see between the subtly untidy hair and eye bags that the chief had been running himself ragged. In spite of the stereotypes, this was the first time she had seem him like this. "The loss of this gemstone appears to have affected him deeply. The fact that you waved me through tells me there's a very real chance someone will have to explain to him he won't ever see it again."

"I never could hide anything from you, could I?" She got the feeling that she was supposed to be encouraged by the smile he gave her. "I suppose I may as well run you through the facts as we have them. Just after 1 AM on Friday night, the alarm was raised and we responded in less than five minutes. What we discovered was little more than a confirmation of our worst fears. The Tear of the Goddess was missing, without a shred of evidence as to how. All of the electronics had either been disabled or showed no sign of any intruder. And all the the people guarding the museum all fell unconscious at the same time. It was just like the other thefts around the world."

Elsa put her mind to work. Outside hacking? No, closed network. Arendelle facility would not be secure with anything less. Thief had to have some knowledge of hacking, or know someone who did. What about the guards. All fell at the same time. Had to be the same time, or the alarm would be raised. Would also need to happen  _after_ the infiltrator compromised the electronic security. There were no known signals or sounds that could render so many people unconscious. No, had to be a gas or something in the bloodstream. How would they administer something like that? Inside man? She shuddered briefly at the thought. No doubt the police would run background checks, but it was far too easy to dig a traitor in deep if the stakes were high enough. She needed more information for now.

"First of all, the thieves only took the Tear, correct? Nothing else was taken or left at the scene."

The chief shook his head. "We didn't find anything else. Whoever they were. They were only after one thing. Do you think the perpetrator might have left something else?"

She paused. Did she? It was only a hypothesis. "It's the way the security was compromised. If it was a closed network, they would have to bypass it on site. Unless there was more than one criminal, they would likely have left a device to keep the system from resetting."

"Go on." He smiled and nodded. He wasn't about to stop her now.

"They would also need to be completely sure that every guard was completely unconscious at the exact same time. The sedative would either need to be inhaled or ingested. How such a thing is possible with so many variants to account for, I haven't figured out a solution as of yet." She took a breath. That was quite a mouthful.

"Yes! We did a health check on the security personnel, all of them tested positive for traces of a powerful concoction. By our calculations, a regular dose would induce at least half an hour of sleep. How it was administered, we're still looking into." He laughed a little. "Just like the good old days. We haven't even checked out the scene yet and you're right on the money. Any other ideas?"

Elsa examined the room where the Tear was intended to be displayed. No other exhibits. No windows or vents. Just a glass case with a perfectly cut circular hole. "What about shoe prints? Unless our thieves have become capable of flight."

"No good, I'm afraid." Roe shook his head. "There won't be anything that would identify the thief's shoes in particular. We suspect they use a fresh pair for each heist. They certainly have their bases covered."

Elsa examined the now empty pillow case. "I fail to see how my speculation will lead us to anything decisive."

"On your own, maybe."

Elsa spun round and grimaced. How long was he planning on asking? "I can't go back, sir. Not yet."

"You're a  _detective_ , Elsa. Not some second-rate snitch. You even called me  _sir_. I know deep down you want to come back. I'm sure we can figure something out for your personal investigations."

Elsa wanted to shout at him. She really did. This was  _her_  choice. The good and the bad. "We both know how that will go down. I'm too  _personally invested_ to continue that case. Why would that change now? I know you all want me to let that case go, but I fear if I don't find an answer, I will spend my whole life regretting it."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I won't ask again."

She looked around. "I hardly believe it matters much. Even I am no match for a perfect crime."

* * *

The Re-Patra needle. The tallest skyscraper in Arendelle by far. That was all Red really needed to know about the building. That, and sitting at the very top was one of the fanciest restaurants the city had to offer.

Red forced herself forward out of the elevator in her new dress. Damn that saleswoman. She could have made an ant believe it was half a size smaller than it really was. Why did she have to fall victim to her charms? Still, at least she looked like she actually belonged here, at least until she had to open her mouth.

"Madame?" A waiter asked, making Red gulp. That time was now.

"Look, I'm supposed to be here, okay? All I was told was that I should come here and, and-"

The waiter kept a stiff expression as Red tripped over her words. "Madame, if you would like to follow me, your host is waiting."

"Right, right. Follow you." Red was not looking forward to having to walk again, but she may as well have gotten this over with. She needed something to distract herself. The decorations would do. There were certainly enough of them. There were fresh flowers on every table, complete with crystal vases. Large panes of glass would give a spectacular view of the city if it weren't so dark. And above it all was the largest chandelier she had ever seen. Even standing here felt like it cost a fortune.

From the far end she could make out a single table for two distanced from any of the other tables. A man was already sitting there, in an expensive looking white suit. It was him. the  _boss_ boss. Just stay calm. And don't say anything stupid. She cringed. If Rex was here he'd probably just tell her to keep her mouth shut. She sidled over, unsure of what was making her more uncomfortable at this point.

"Please, take a seat." The man motioned to the chair opposite him. Red found his voice almost hypnotic. Both her inner and outer discomfort faded as she worked her way into the seat.

She just needed something to say. "Uh, hello?"  _Idiot_. "Sorry if I'm late. I had a little snafu with make-up because  _someone_ doesn't know the difference between the peach and beige, then I had to fix my hair after that and-"

"Please, please," the man waved a hand, and Red shut her mouth, blushing a little. "It wasn't exactly fair of me to impose this on you so suddenly. I simply had to meet you before our business concluded."

She exhaled sharply. This wasn't the stiff, scary man she had envisioned when the words  _boss_ boss sprang to mind. "I see, thanks, boss boss." She slapped her mouth. How the hell did that slip out?

"Please, there's no need to be so formal. Call me Hans," he said, stifling a laugh. Red was doing everything wrong, she just knew it. So how was this going right? Okay, deep breath.

"So, is there something you want, mister Hans? Some kind of problem with my work?"

He only smiled. "Not here. This isn't the time or the place to discuss business. Though I am a huge admirer of your work. And I look forward to your final performance with great anticipation."

Red thought for a second. If he was going to talk about it, that meant one thing. "So, the star-"

He nodded. "Soon. You'll know what you need to when the time is right. But tell me, what do you think of this place?"

"It's so fancy. Seems really expensive too. Don't tell Rex that I'm here, he'll probably have a heart attack." She rolled her eyes.

That comment seemed to confuse Hans for a second. "Oh, you mean-? Don't worry about him. This is on me. I know the owner quite well, though we haven't spoken in a while. So please, feel free to order anything you like."

"Thanks, I guess." Red tried to conceal her face from him. "I think maybe I'll try the steak. I know that's not as lean as what I should have, but when am I going to be back here?"

"Don't worry about it. As soon as our business is concluded, you'll be able to eat here for the rest of your life if you wanted. I think I'll start with a glass of red." He closed the wine menu before switching to the mains.

"I think I'd like to explore the world first, see what it has to offer." Red knew all too well in this business that information, especially about yourself is probably the most valuable thing you have. With that and her dress forcing her to move it around every few seconds, Hans had another thing coming if he thought he was going to get anything else out of her, boss boss or not.

* * *

Elsa hurried out of the shower to get to her phone, ringing on the table. It still played the common, and honestly rather grating default tone which she had simply not taken the time to change. She checked the screen and scowled. The chief. Was her answer earlier in the day not satisfactory? No matter, she would reiterate it as many times as it took. She pressed the button.

"Chief."

"Elsa, you're not going to believe it. We did a full sweep of the museum, and we found something in one of the electronics boxes. We think it's some kind of cracking device, but we can't be sure. Whoever planted it there had it blow itself up afterwards."

She sighed and pulled back her dripping hair. Could this not have waited? "Are you still at work, chief? I thought you would at least remember my concerns about a healthy work-life balance."

Silence. Then a forced laugh came from the other end. "The crime of the century just took place in Arendelle city, Elsa. And on  _my_ watch. If heads haven't started rolling, they will soon."

Elsa sighed. It wasn't his fault. The enemy there were up against was more advanced than them and seemed to be one step ahead at every turn. But that was not the way it was going to appear to the public at large. "I really am sorry, sir. There just aren't any leads left for us to follow."

"Not for the theft of the tear, maybe. Listen to me Elsa. We only have one chance. The Scarlet Star, the last treasure of Albernon, is here in Arendelle city. This is the only time that more than one had been in the same place."

It didn't take long for Elsa to catch on. "So you plan to use it as bait. Our one and only remaining chance to catch these thieves in the act. If this plan fails-"

"I know what will happen if I fail!" he snapped. "Which is why I would consider it a huge favour if you would assist us. We can make you a consultant if that placates you. We'll even pay you anything within reason." Elsa stepped back. She had her own investigations, even if they were going nowhere. On the other hand, if he wasn't so busy she suspected the chief would be at her door on his knees. It was never easy to give something up. "Oh, and Elsa, there's one more thing." She paused, expecting another plea. "Haven't you noticed yet? Criminals performing perfect crimes? Using extremely advanced technology? Even using inside men to achieve their goals?"

She nearly dropped the phone. "No. No no no, you can't be serious. it doesn't fit the profile. They never committed larceny before."

"It's just a hypothesis, but we believe they may have decided to diversify. And the rest of it fits as well. Elsa, they didn't simply vanish. They left Arendelle altogether. And now they've returned."

She said nothing. The chief was right, how could she have missed it? She must have been so focused on the main nature of the crimes in question, all of the details fell by the wayside. "You seriously believe the White Hand is behind this?"

"Well as we always say. If the boot fits. We have no concrete evidence, I know, but everything we do have only points towards this hypothesis. If they really are the culprits behind the thefts, this may be the last chance we get to catch them."

" _If_ ," Elsa repeated. "It matters little. You've presented a compelling, if not completely convincing case. This is something I can ignore no longer." Elsa walked into her bedroom, looking over the cross-section of notes, maps and other pieces of information she had managed to assemble. "I have made my decision. I will join your investigation and this trap you have set, but  _only_ as far as finding the culprits, and recovering the stolen gemstones. That is my first, and final offer."

"Very well. Then I consider it my privilege to work with you again. Come to the Northgate conference center tomorrow, ten o'clock. We'll talk about the plan there." The phone went back to sleep.

Elsa whipped her laptop open and started a flurry of research and revision, her interrupted ablution all but forgotten. The White Hand. Phantom Red. It didn't matter who came after the Scarlet Star. She would find her culprit and get to the bottom of this. She always did.


	3. The Crossroads

Of course it was going to end up here at some point. Arendelle Constabulary. It was necessary to finalize the details of their trap assembled over the last week. And it wasn't so much that Elsa hated the building as the memories it dredged up. So it was as she dragged herself through its halls, shrugging off gestures of acknowledgement, that Elsa felt an intangible weight on her shoulders. Not much longer. That was all she needed to tell herself.

She went into the chief's office without bothering to knock, finding it conspicuously empty. Had he not thought to secure it? One look at the state of the room gave her the answer: there probably hadn't been time. The layout of the office was as she had remembered, but the state was decidedly not. From the coffee mug that had long since stopped being white on the inside, the clutter on the desk and the overloaded "in" and "out" pile, Elsa drew the conclusion that in spite of her advice, her old boss had been running himself ragged.

A few seconds later, chief Roe came through the door. "Please, take a seat." She could see he was trying to maintain the 'business as usual' demeanour, appearance and hygiene be damned. "So, what's the current status on the exposition plan?"

She really wanted to chide his overzealous work ethic. It was a stupid stereotype anyway. But they had both invested far too much into this. "The movers have already finished assembling the art works." It had taken a fair few generous donations and silver words to part the owners from their prized possessions, even for just three days. "As for the security, we have secured any access points at their in-house surveillance. We also set up our own wired network, just in case." It has been a unique challenge, as the wires would look very conspicuous. In the end they disguised the wires as cables for the additional lighting. "I recommend we switch the positions of the cameras each day after the exhibit closes." They needed to deny their mysterious opponents of every advantage they could get. "That mainly leaves our personnel, which you agreed to look into."

Roe cleared his throat. "Of course. My primary concern is the way the personnel were incapacitated during the previous theft. We identified the chemical used as one that would need to be either ingested or injected. Since several of the guards we questioned have no injections recently it's mostly likely the former. Therefore I am assigning a small detachment of officers to watch the premises at night. We're strictly regulating their diet to ensure they can't be taken down the same way. I can only commit five of our people. Hopefully that will be enough."

Elsa gave the slightest smile. "You mean six, don't you?"

Roe gave a laugh, one Elsa assumed to be the first genuine one of the last couple of days. "See, that's what I always liked about you. So efficient. Yes, I'd like you to stake out the exhibit at night, particularly where we're displaying the Scarlet Star." He looked out the window briefly to the busy street. "No matter how much we do, I can't escape the feeling of dread that we'll still be one step behind. You're honestly our best shot at catching our perpetrator before disaster strikes."

She closed her eyes, grimacing. Elsa knew in some ways she was right. It didn't matter whose fault it was. If these thieves got away unscatched, faith in the security might break, and the criminal element would almost certainly grow bolder. Heads would roll for sure, and the chief would take the brunt of that fallout. "We may have lost the battle, but I will do everything in my power to ensure we win the war."

The chief. "Well, while we're on the subject of power, there's one more thing I'll think you'll need to see this through." He pulled open a drawer and pulled out a small wooden case.

Elsa's heart skipped a beat. "No, you- I-. I can't possibly, it's not legal."

"The paperwork has been filled out already." He pushed the box towards her. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. You look me in the eye and tell me you won't possibly need this."

Elsa took a deep breath. She didn't want to. She shivered at the idea. But he was right. The stakes were too high. She unclicked the latches and lifted the lid. There it still was, lustrous as ever. Her old peacemaker revolver. Shaking, her left hand took the handle and relieved the case of its burden. It was the same weapon, wasn't it? So where was this dread coming from? She thought back to her father's words:  _only those who rightly fear power deserve to wield it_. Deep breaths. Nice and slow. She replaced the weapon and resealed the case. "So be it."

"Thank you, Elsa. I know this is difficult for you. What happened before wasn't your fault." Elsa looked up to him. He was really bringing this up now? "I just, I just might not get a chance to say that again."

"Now's not the time to be getting sentimental,  _sir_." She got back up. "The storm clouds are gathering. We best be ready."

* * *

The next two days were a whirlwind of triple checks, reviewing the footage that they had from the daytime and internal calculations. To her, the fact that every single individual who had come to visit the exhibit being suspicious was not some paranoid delusion but a sad indictment on the state of the world.  _No one_  was beneath suspicion. Which only made the burden of finding the true bad apples an insurmountable task.

Elsa had tried approaching from a different angle, considering whether their mysterious thieves  _would_ try and make an attempt on the Scarlet Star. That too only served to highlight the sheer number of variables on the situation. They had to at least suspect that it was some kind of trap. A trap you know about is one you can disarm. Could they though? She had been thorough enough. It all depended on what tricks they held in reserve.

Ten minutes to six. The same time she had arrived the two days before, like clockwork. This time it was going to be different. It  _had_ to be. This wasn't just the ideal opportunity. It was quite possibly the only one. She could finally stop chasing phantoms. At least, the ones that weren't quite real. She felt a familiar vibration. Adam was calling.

"What's the situation?" There was honestly no situation on his end, but he probably wanted something all the same.

"Holding down the fort for my favourite boss as always." Elsa rolled her eyes. Charming as always. "I did a little more research, you know. Turns out, this isn't the first time the gems have been stolen. Not by a long shot."

"That's hardly surprising, given their immense value. And I severely doubt it will be any consolation to Arendelle's security forces, either."

Adam gave a rather loud sigh. "Would you let me finish? The interesting thing is that they never managed to catch the thieves, and yet the jewels always managed to end up back in public hands, if not their original owners. Stranger still, no one's ever been made to pay for their return, despite their immense value."

This was news to Elsa. It sounded like the heists were simply for the sport of it. Damnit, why did he have to come along with this information now? If that really was the case, what little ground she had gained was now meaningless. "It doesn't matter now. I intend to ask the culprit myself after I apprehend them."

"Ooooh, confident I see. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Best of luck." Elsa would never admit that she needed any luck, but that was what this would all come down to. Time to prepare.

* * *

Red walked back and forth her little room. Too long. This was taking  _waaaay_ too long. Didn't they know that this was the last night? They'd promised she could go get the star. What was taking them? A knock on the door. She couldn't open it fast enough.

"Is it time?"

Rex nodded. "It's time."

* * *

Elsa reviewed all of the surveillance cameras. All of them were responding as expected. With the all clear, she checked all of the possible weak points. All of them were physically secure. No way any would-be thief could break in without getting unwanted attention.

* * *

Red put on her outfit of pure black. Last time. Also the last time she would have to ruin her hair. Always clung onto the blasted hat. That was one thing she wouldn't miss.

* * *

All the officers on duty were accounted for and correct. They would take the same formation as the two previous nights, except this time there would be no switches or rests. Elsa vaguely regretted it, but any downtime could prove fatal.

* * *

The belt was next, filled with the tools and fancy gadgets Red had become used too, along with a couple of new toys from Rex. The people guarding the star weren't taking any chances, so apparently neither were they. It would be fun to see what the team had come up with.

* * *

Finally, there was the matter of her peacemaker. Elsa spun the cylinder. No signs of deterioration. All save one of the chambers was loaded. There would be no misfires on her watch. As long as the cylinder still turned, she could still get the first draw, so long as she wasn't jumped first.

* * *

Red looked in the mirror. This was it. Her last great performance, to an audience of none. Oh well, it wasn't like she was doing this for free.

"Ready?" Rex asked.

"Ready."

* * *

"Everything is in place, ma'am." Elsa nodded at the officer's report. All of their planning came down to this.

"I appreciate your efforts." Elsa managed to force a smile, hoping it wouldn't look that way. "Let's hope it pays off."

* * *

Everything was in place. Rex had made sure she had taken in the whole briefing. They had learned a thing or two from the Tear heist and put that to work. But they were more ready than they could ever expect. She checked her watch. Ten minutes to midnight, on the dot. Right above her, a window leading into the exhibition. Open just the tiniest crack. To anyone else, nothing. She cracked a wide smile, not that anyone would see under her outfit. Now  _this_ was her kind of ladder.

Left. Small hand hold where a brick was loose. Easy enough. Right. A fresh metal bolt. Her smiled widened as she latched on. It was like they wanted to be infiltrated. She shook it off. Task at hand. Left. Hole in the wall just above. Right. She cursed quietly. The window was just above her, out of reach. It was times like this it paid to be prepared. She whipped out a small hook on a wire and latched it onto the opening. Her heart pounded. She cursed again. This was the easy part, after all.

Over the edge, she scanned. Three cameras. One above as she knew. The other two had been moved. For anyone else, a sign to slow down. Not for Phantom Red.

Three. She pulled the hook out of the window ledge. Two. Then flipped it around to grip from the other side. One! She jumped down into the room shimmied to the floor. No alarms. She snorted, stopping just short of laughter. One erratic camera movement and she would be done for sure. But no, all they ever did was pile on more security and hope there was one net she wouldn't slip through.

The cameras were moving again. With a deep breath, Red swirled around, weaving the camera's blind spots. Window camera stopped turning. She dashed forward. Top corner was moving again! Steadying her nerves, she thought of something.

The camera turned, seeing an ancient statue in its robotic eye. It may never have required rest, but it couldn't see through solid objects. Red wiped her brow, once again staying out of sight. She turned the corner, and her eyes lit up.

Time to open the new box of tricks. Reaching for her belt, she pressed a button, making the tube bleep to life. Now for the leap of faith. She walked forward into the paths of the cameras. Nothing. The eyes in the sky were now blind. Good old Rex had come through.

Now it was time to- there was a light drawing in. Guard! Red raised to the balls of her feet and leapt forward.

A middle-aged man in a blue uniform rounded the corner, flashlight in hand. Had he heard a noise? The exhibit looked as dull as ever. Sighing, but keeping his eyes peeled. he shone the light around. As soon as he stepped forward, he trained his light onto something.

Red froze stiff, her heart and lungs trying to outdo each other. If she just had a little more-

"Bloody woman," the guard grumbled. A couple of seconds of fiddling later, and he was back walking the way he came. The area was quiet once more.

Red finally released her grip from the underside of the bench she had been clinging onto. She retracted her shaky arms. A few more seconds and it all could have been over. She peeked out from under the bench, and got back up and dusted herself off. The hiding place had left her quite dusty. Onwards through the dark.

She reached the end of the hall. From the corner, she could see the entrance to the room she was headed for. She could also see two men standing guard. Back to the wall, she crossed her fingers with one hand and picked up a detonator with the other. After a short click, she counted. One, two, three.

Fifty-eight, fifty nine, sixty. She slowly took a glance back around to the door. Both the guards were slumped on the floor. There was no time to lose. The moment one of them was discovered, all hell would break loose. She rushed forward, stopping at the entryway to the small display room.

Red had to stop herself from dashing forward and grabbing the prize. The Scarlet Star. Her 'helpers' must have checked a hundred times for traps. But never at night.

The security guard slumped over in his chair probably meant there were no pressure alarms. She quickly scanned the area and saw no sign of any trip lasers. No, nothing. She paused. Was it really this easy? Only one way to find out.

She took slow deliberate steps, each footfall echoing throughout the room. Barely noticing the velvet ropes surrounding the display, she reached out a slow, shaking hand and delicately picked up the jewel. It appeared to be clear, ball shape. No way to make out the colour. Red gazed intently into it for a few seconds, before pocketing the prize. It really  _was_ this easy. That was, until the room's floodlights came on. Red turned around to find a gun in her face. She reared back, almost knocking over the display.

* * *

Elsa paced the hall in front of the display room, unable to abate the swirling storm in her mind. There were far too many possible scenarios. There was but one chance. One chance to catch the perpetrator, and discover the truth. That was, unless this whole thing proved to be a waste of time.

No, now was not the time to think about that. There was more to this than just her. The chief was relying on her. She took a drink of cold water, her nerves feeling more soothed with each breath. Anyone who came here tonight uninvited would-

A sound barely registered on the edge of her hearing. A beep? It sounded unalike to anything they had in place to keep the star secure. She approached one of the patrolling guards. "I may have heard something suspicious. Be on your guard."

"Yeah, yeah." The man grunted, before pulling out a flashlight and heading into the darkness. She knew he wanted to put his feet up for just a few minutes, but now more than ever was not the time.

A few minutes later, he returned looking no worse for wear. But no better, either. "Anything?" Elsa asked.

"Bad nothing. No need to get so jumpy." The man sighed. "Sorry, it's just-"

"Go get some water. I can keep watch for the next few minutes." It was the only real solution. If she really forced them to keep going, they would inevitably lapse anyway. As the man walked away, she considered. Was that beep really nothing? If the pattern lined up, then the thief could have already-

Elsa whipped out her phone and mashed the number for the security hub. There was a chance the cameras had already been compromised. The ringing tone hung . Why wouldn't they pick up? Then, she heard it. The two guards watching the entryway had collapsed. That confirmed it. They were here.

Elsa's mind became a flurry of thoughts, worries and possible decisions. She couldn't check on the guards, or she'd risk sharing their fate, or worse. The alarms were ready and waiting. No, that would only make the trespassers flee. She could stand guard and keep the Scarlet Star safe. No, number of intruders was still unknown. She needed every advantage she could get. She retreated around the opposite corner, keeping watch for anyone attempting to complete their heist.

There he was. Was it a he? It was hard for Elsa to make out in the darkness, but the figure was far too slender to be masculine. The figure was cloaked in black, making any other features impossible to discern. The only other thing Elsa noticed was the pieces around the waist, possibly suggesting the individual was armed. She checked her revolver. Still there. As quietly as possible, she spun the cylinder into the next, loaded chamber. No chances. She advanced, the intruder now out of sight. Step by step, she edged forward. Gun now drawn, she looked in on the room that housed the star. This was it. She pressed a button bringing the floodlights in the room to life, before raising the revolver in her left hand.

To even the casual observer, and especially to Elsa, this development had fallen well outside of this thief's plans. She hopped back, only the elaborate display that had not a minute ago held the star prevented a complete fall. "Hands where I can see them," Elsa ordered. "No sudden moves." Without the darkness, the intruder's feminine features became more apparent. The only part of her body that wasn't concealed was her green eyes. Elsa found herself almost sucked into them, and she couldn't figure out why. No, this woman was a criminal.

"Hey! You scared me!" Elsa wasn't even sure what to say. The hundreds, if not thousands of things she had imagined the thief would say or do were all way more intimidating. Hell, they all had a much stronger grasp on reality, at the very least.

"You're under arrest for attempted larceny. Hands where I can see them.  _This is your last warning_." Elsa pulled the hammer of the gun. Benefits to her accuracy aside, maybe this would give the thief the wake up call she clearly needed.

The woman lifted her hands. "Alright, alright! Geez, you're so bossy."

Elsa scowled a bit. Did this girl think she had been caught sneaking out after curfew? Apparently she would have to be dragged back into the real world kicking and screaming. "Let me see your face. Once I take you back to the station, perhaps you'll see that you're little more than a criminal."

At first, she appeared to lower the veil covering her face. As soon as Elsa finished though, she fumed at Elsa. "Hey! I'll have you know that I'm not just  _little more than a criminal_. You see, I am Red.  _Phantom_ Red."

This kept getting more and more bizarre. Did this girl imagine she was in some kind of graphic novel? Clearly it would take someone greater than herself to snap her out of it. Perhaps there was some kind of opportunity in this. "You're not  _Phantom Red_. You don't fit the profile. Besides, the real one wouldn't be caught so easily."

Red stamped a foot. Elsa suppressed a smile, knowing she had touched a nerve. "I  _am_ Phantom Red! I got all the other treasures of Albernon without anyone seeing me, much less catching me. Someone was bound to come close sooner or later. You should consider this an honour."

"And who exactly does  _Phantom Red_  steal in the name of?" Elsa had to steady her breathing. She was close.  _So_ close.

Red shook her head. "Uh-uh, I'm not telling." Elsa squeezed the handle of her gun much tighter. "Ooh, I know. How about you let me go and then I'll tell you. How does that sound?"

Elsa took a step closer, now levelling the barrel at the intruder's head. "I have better idea. How about I take you to a cell, we figure out how long we can sentence you based on your confession just now, and then you see if you feel like cooperating."

Red rolled her eyes. "Aww, you're no fun. Besides, you're not going to be telling anyone about what you saw here."

Elsa now gripped the gun with both hands. "Is that a threat?" Maybe a bullet to the arm or leg would snap this woman awake. She took a deep breath. She was letting her emotions cloud her judgement. Sure, this woman was an intruder and acting rather insufferably, but she had not given her a just cause to use deadly force. The ramifications against both her and the security forces would surely-. BAM. Something stung her shoulder.

She tensed up. Her moment of hesitation had cost her everything, as her opponent had a trick up her sleeve. Literally. A small dart and found its way through her coat into her shoulder, and now she felt the numbness. She had maybe a minute of consciousness left.

"Well, it's been fun, but I gotta run. Don't worry though, you'll wake up in about twelve hours, but man, I wouldn't want to be you then. Nighty-night!" Red pulled her veil up and darted round Elsa back the way she came.

Elsa's fury barely managed to penetrate the dizziness coursing through her. The alarm button was only a few strides away, but it may as well have been a thousand miles. No. She  _would_ make it. If it was the very last thing she would do. To let that blasted woman win was unthinkable.

Left. Her feet lagged well behind her brain, almost refusing to move. Right. Another wave of dizziness pored over her. It wanted her to give up.  _Never_. Left. She almost toppled. Just a little closer. Right.  _Right_! She couldn't do it. Just one step. She finally gave out, falling forwards, her anger fading. But from hell's heart, she slammed the button, sending the sirens far and wide. That would have to do. She lay there quietly, no longer able to move.


	4. Chasing Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa tries to pursue the criminal, fighting a battle against her own hazy memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for managing to bear with me on this one. I had a bit of semi writer's block, all day work sessions exhausting me and a lack of confidence in this chapter in general. And a proper beta reading to top it all off (thanks, Vesfarhloc). Please do leave a comment or the like if you like what you read, it makes it way easier for me to put pedal to the metal.
> 
> Also, just take note that this fic will take what seems to be a bit of a strange turn next chapter. The truly heavy stuff isn't for a while yet. Enjoy!

Red paced the room for what felt like the fifty- _first_ billionth time. What was the hold up? So  _maybe_ the alarms went off a little early than they perhaps should have. Did that really matter at this point? They had all the jewels. All that was left now was to make the deal and they'd all be laughing over bottles of champagne.

_Okay, maybe not champagne._

She hadn't even mentioned the little close encounter. If it weren't for the fact they would soon be parting ways, Rex would never let her hear the end of it. Even if it was sort of his fault. Wasn't the button supposed to knock  _all_ the guards out?

That was part of the reason she just wouldn't stop moving. If she did, she would only think about that standoff all over again. It had been nothing like she had imagined. No witty one-liners. No chase between cop and robber. Nothing like movies she remembered. Just an icy woman determined to see her behind bars and find out who she was working for. There seemed to be a lot of focus on that last point.

Did it really matter? Whoever she was, her lapse of judgement had allowed Red to get the best of her. She would never see that woman again. If she had managed to have her way, Red would be at the start of a  _very_ long stay in jail. Red looked around her.

 _Not much of an improvement so far._ If not for her additions, it would be nothing but grey, grey,  _grey_. There wasn't even a window to look out of. Just six hard surfaces and a steel door.  _Not much of an improvement at all_.

What was so great about that woman, anyway? The way she was talking, that woman was far more interested in who she was working for that Red herself. She was something of an underground legend. A phantom that seeps through cracks and faults to collect her prize. A shadow that was never there. An echo that can never be fully recalled.

Yet last night, she was there: caught red-handed by this women. With a gun pointed at her no less! The first person to have finally caught in the act...hardly cared about her at all. Only her employers. She would never be able to tell anyone else, both a blessing and a curse.

_How is that supposed to work?_

She went back to pacing. Living a lie was certainly better than living at the bottom of the barrel.

* * *

Despite Elsa mind trying to regained conscious, her body screamed at her that to do so wasn't exactly the best idea for her condition. Pain lanced at her from every angle, attempting to strangle her back into unconscious. As if that wasn't bad enough, the reason for her condition had somehow become an amalgamous blur for her now.

_Urgh...where am I?_

As Elsa started to regain her bearings, her senses began to explore her surroundings. She appeared to be laying in some kind of bed. Not at home, though. There was far too much background noise coming from the AC. Slowly but surely, she eventually gathered enough willpower to force her eyes open.

_I'm in a hospital. Excellent…_

Elsa clutched her head, a mix of soreness and disbelief hitting her. At this point a night of binge-drinking wasn't outside the realm of possibility. No, that wasn't her at all. Elsa closed her eyes, trying to remember what exactly happened last night. Scraps and pieces appeared every now and then to her, but Elsa was unable to make out any fine details. The only thing that was clear in her mind was anger. Anger at a lot of work and planning that had amount to naught but her lying in a hospital with a brain that felt as though it had just come out of a headbutting contest with a sledgehammer and a body sixty years its senior.

A round of pain relief and half an hour later, Elsa's confused mind was beginning to reassemble the memories of what had transpired the night before. She had staked out the exhibit. Then things became serious. There was a bright light. Anything more slipped through the fingers of her mind, and trying to force the issue only brought the pain back.

"Oh, Elsa! Thank goodness you're alright." The chief had entered the room while she was trying to meditate on her thoughts. Was it visiting hours? She had lost all sense of time.

Elsa clutched her head. "Sir, I'm so sorry. Something happened last night." Was it last night? It could have happened a year ago. "I can barely even remember anything that transpired."

"That's hardly surprising. The doctor told me you were hit with a powerful narcotic. She said that you probably won't suffer any permanent damage, but your short-term memories at the time would be extremely adversely affected." He looked out the window, and sighed. "Elsa, we failed.  _I_ failed. The Scarlet Star is gone. If the perpetrators had intended any more serious harm to you, we wouldn't be having the conversation. The same goes for the rest of my men."

Elsa blinked. Something was coming back to her. The men were all knocked out, somehow at exactly the same time. From the chief's tone she gather that none of them had expired either, but something about what happened didn't seem right. "I think you should just take me through what happened if you can."

"I think this can explain better than I ever could." He handed her an electronic tablet. There were recordings from the cameras. By all accounts, it seemed that none of their electronics had been compromised. But something was missing.

"So what exactly am I supposed to be looking at, here?" Elsa asked. "There's nothing of note here. Unless, there's something that  _should_ be there."

"Precisely. Despite the Star clearly being gone and the security being completely intact, there's neither head nor tail of any kind of perpetrator. Here's the strangest part, though." He flicked through the feeds until the camera overseeing the Scarlet Star's display showed. Just before the video hit the midnight timestamp, the video seemed to crackle a bit. Elsa saw herself, and the lights in the room coming to life. Then, half the video seemed to shimmer and distort uncontrollably. "We're fairly certain that you had tried to confront the thief at this point; it was hardly likely you would point your gun and threaten the wall."

In some ways, what she observed was rather similar to her memory. There was definitely someone there that night, but it was as though her mind had retracted any more details when she probed for them. "So, whatever this shimmer or distortion is was our crook's way of avoiding detection from the cameras."

"That's what the others are going with." Roe sighed heavily. "We took all those steps to avoid them compromising our security and they just pull another trick out of their hat. It's the same with my men. Same exact sedative that was used on the museum guards. But that really shouldn't be possible. We triple checked all of our food rations. They shouldn't have been able to contaminate it at all."

And yet, they had. Despite the objections popping up in her mind, it felt as though their enemy had danced circles around them so thoroughly they couldn't even tell which way was up any more. Especially in her case.

Elsa continuously scrubbed the footage back and forth, mulling over the particular section where her supposed attempted confrontation took place. If she were to assume that such an event took place, then it would spell out one simple clue: that these supposedly perfect criminals had made a mistake. A big one, no less. It was something that they had failed to factor in. Even in her slightly addled state, Elsa immediately knew the answer: her.

They knew about the police, but not her. She'd have fallen with them otherwise. Narcotics. Somehow administered, but when? Couldn't have been after the plan, no endgame for the chief to do so. Must have been administered before. Slow acting drug? No - nothing known would act that slowly. Not to mention that it would leave far too much possible variables. Had to take effect with perfect synchronisation. As though under their control...wait a second...control?

"Chief, I thought of something. Do you think you could run blood tests all of your officers? I have a tentative idea on how they managed to knock out our security again."

"I hope you're right about this. I don't think I have much time left as it is." Elsa paused. Of course there would be the fallout for all this. The government would lose millions over the cost of the stolen Gems, and their reputation would be tarnished for years to come, no matter how well they explained how the events unfolded. There was little they could do against Elsa herself, who lacked any official involvement. The chief, however, would bear the brunt of the fallout. Elsa wasn't going to let that happen. Seizing her body, Elsa willed herself up into action and after a couple of seconds of coordination, it accomplished the task of rousing itself from drowsiness.

The chief followed her. "Elsa, you can't seriously be thinking about leaving. There's still concerns about your health. At least let the doctor-"

"That will take time, sir. Something we both know is a luxury we cannot afford. Maybe the culprits are still within the city. Maybe they aren't. But whatever window of opportunity we may have is shrinking the longer we wait. We both know this goes far beyond just you and me."

Roe gave her a look. One she remembered all too well from the time two years ago. "I don't want you getting hurt. Is it really worth it?"

Elsa respected him far too much to tell him what an absurd question that was. "Twenty-four hours. That's all I'm asking for. If I fail to find any pertinent leads in that time-"

Roe let out a defeated sigh. "There's no way I'm going to talk you out of this, is there?" Elsa shook her head. "Fine. I'll give you access to whatever you might need. But I'm holding you to your word. Are we clear?"

Elsa finally managed a smile through all the lingering discomfort. "Crystal, sir." She had a chance. For now, that would have to suffice.

* * *

With one slightly reluctant conditional discharge behind her, Elsa is now up against a battle of two fronts to fight, although in its own way they were one and the same. In spite of all the medication she had been prescribed, a tornado of dull pain continued to bounce around her head,blurring everything it could. Including the precious memories of the night before.

Leaning back towards her seat as the Arendelle Metro Train sped off above the streets, Elsa pushed into the depths of her mind, but her brain was having none of it. Even the things she could remember needed to be gripped tightly, lest they also slip back into the fog. She was starting to gain the upper hand, but unearthing any more memories about what she had done the night before was proving impossible.

While it pained her to admit it, she needed a trigger. Something that would light her synapses on fire and jog her memory. What an embarrassment it was for her to not even trust her own head! She pulled out her phone. Was there anyone? She hadn't told anyone in the force, there could still have been a traitor in their line. Even if that wasn't the case, someone could have tapped their means of communication. That didn't leave many options.

_Desperate times call for desperate measures…_

"Hey there, boss. So, how did the stakeout go?"

Elsa had to bite her tongue in order to prevent her from explaining how his chipper voice was doing her head no favors. "I'll explain later. Adam, do you perhaps remember what steps I took to secure the exhibit?"

"Are you seriously suggesting that you managed to forget?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "For the sake of argument, say that I did. Was there anything in particular that I said I should or might do to prepare?" She tensed up. Hopefully this would be worth all the times he would bring this up.

"Alright, alright. Okay, let's see here. Well, we didn't actually speak that much since you got to work, but I recall you being worried about how the security guards were all knocked out." While technically true, that was just retreading old ground. "What else was there. You also mentioned something about shoe prints."

Shoe prints, of course. That was something she had brought up after the last break-in. Maybe there was something she had done. "Was there anything else?"

"Well, most of the time you were concerned about the electronic security being compromised. You said something about layering the security more and setting up additional networks, but you wouldn't go into any detail. Sorry I couldn't be of more help."

Elsa gave the slightest smile. "No, you were more helpful than you think. If anything, it's my fault for not keeping any records of this." The train slowed down. Two stops to go. "Anyway, I'm headed for the police station. I might have a couple of leads now. Can you hold down the office until at least tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. We got another call actually, but I'm sure they can wait."

* * *

Elsa sat in front of a dusty desk in the office area of the building, trying to collect herself. There were still no new breakthroughs from her mind, although upon reflection perhaps the hints she had been given weren't sufficient on their own. It was when she had  _viewed_ the events that had unfolded, albeit slightly altered, that things had started to return. Perhaps she was fighting a losing battle. At least, as far as remembering was concerned.

The next viable option was to retrace her steps. Instead of trying to remember what she had done, she next turned to trying to figure out what she  _would have_ done. First of all, the shoeprint question. There would likely be far too many prints on the scene to single out the culprit's on their own, even if they cleaned the floor regularly. No, there had to be something to distinguish their steps in particular.

There had to have been somewhere only the intruder would tread. Of course, the area around the display. The room holding the Scarlet Star had no way to enter or exit besides the archway. Elsa had seen to that. Even so, it was possible for them to snag the Star from a distance. If only she could remember what had leaves her to the last piece of the puzzle: the security cameras.

The security cameras. It was a long shot for sure, considering what had happened. She gritted her teeth. Hours of thought, effort and worry had all been moot by whatever strange device this thief had used. Just what exactly was it they had used? She logged into the computer in front of her, and repeated the footage of her pointing a gun at what was ostensibly nothing. If only she had done  _something_. She muttered to herself as the image of herself was struck with the dart the interception team found protruding from her chest. Then, something caught her eye. The distortion moved towards the exit. No doubt the thief making their escape. What was curious was that for a few frames, Elsa herself was missing from the footage.

Whatever it was that had obscured the intruder, it had almost entirely blocked the view of Elsa as well. This single fact was could change everything. Whatever they had used, it had created an area of distortion that cloaked an area around itself, rather than wrapping itself around the intended user. If that were the case, it was entirely possible that Elsa was inside the bubble of distortion for a split-second. Now she just had to make that  _mean_ something.

Elsa sat there, perfectly silent. her mind refused to budge. She got up and paced the length of the room. Nothing. She even took a jolt of coffee, abhorrent as she normally found the concoction. Even the buzz of caffeine failed to dredge anything up. Finally, she threw her first down on the desk. Why did she have to pick now to be so unproductive?

"You!" Elsa snapped out of her reverie. A man in uniform had noticed her quiet frustration. It took her a moment, but she soon realised who it was. He was one of the officers assigned to guarding the star the night before. The one she had spoken to last. "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here like this."

Elsa glared at him. Couldn't he rant some other time? "Look, I really don't have time for this."

"And why is that? It's not like you've got to cover your ass, unlike a certain police chief." He slammed his fist on the wall, startling Elsa. "You have  _any_ idea how much he's pulled us through?"

Elsa sighed. She had a distinct feeling she knew far better than he ever would. "That's why I'm here. Because it's not too late yet. Now is not the time to be losing heart, much less our integrity."

"What do you know about integrity? You didn't even think twice about spying on us to achieve your goals."

Elsa blinked. She was determined to catch the culprits for sure, but that seemed far below the level she considered herself out. This man had to be exaggerating just a little bit. "I'm certain I don't know what you mean." She braced herself.

The man pulled something out his pocket and forced it into Elsa's hand. "This. Did you really think none of us would find it just a little bit strange that our uniforms would suddenly require processing? Or how different our button suddenly looks?" The man squeezed his forehead, but the gears in Elsa's head had just kicked into overdrive, and she didn't even notice. "Look, I know we needed to take drastic steps to catch the perp. Hell, what you did wasn't going far enough. But would it kill you to keep us in the loop? We're supposed to be on the same side here."

Elsa steadied herself. This was it! This was the break she was looking for. "Could you hold that thought for a moment? I need to check something."

"What? I'm not done yet."

Elsa ignored him, stepping past. "If you care about the chief as much as you say-" she didn't wait for a response. Her mind had already skipped into overdrive, drifting far away from this man's superfluous complaining. Her only thoughts were for two things: and observation, and a possibility.

She had recognised the man almost as soon as she ran into him, despite having no reason to have encountered, much less spoken with him before the failed trap. That could only mean she had not only seen him on that night, but now she could  _remember_  that fact. All from a few viewing his face.

The entire thing hinged on the second factor: the possibility. Looking through the footage she might have acquired from the officers almost certainly turn up nothing of value; mostly only static images once the men were drugged. It all hinged on the logical extrapolation of this discovery.

It was seconds before Elsa confirmed her hypothesis. There in the where the highest button of her trenchcoat used to be there was a tiny electronic eye. For the entire day to this moment, a potentially crucial piece of evidence was right there with her, Elsa being none the wiser. Curiously, her hands didn't tremble even a little as her chance finally came into view, which was just as well as the camera required a fair amount of dexterity to remove the small memory card contained within.

Like hand in glove, the card fit into the computer, revealing its contents. Around twenty hours of footage. There was only a few split seconds that would matter. With the surveillance video, Elsa could cut down on the waiting. She moved the stream forward to the same time stamp, and watched. Frame. By. Frame. At first it appeared the camera had gone haywire, but that was simply the result of the interference being so close.

And there it was. For maybe two or three of the frames, a figure appeared almost magically, before slipping back into the aether. Her face was there almost completely clearly, although at a slight angle in all three frames. It was more than enough. As Elsa pulled her phone back out, another surge of adrenaline hit her, which she tempered with caution. They had a recorded face, but the slight blur from the motion meant that it nothing clear was coming back to her. She quietly groaned. Why did her memories have to give out on her now?

"Elsa." The chief was finally on the other end. "Any new leads?"

"Chief, I have the face of our intruder from the night. It isn't a hundred percent clear, but there's still a chance we can stop them leaving the city, if they haven't already."

There was nothing from the other end at first. "Seriously? That's a lot better than we started off, that's for sure. I'm guessing the database didn't come up with anything, though."

Elsa pondered. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"You know, the data- oh, that's right. You weren't around. Well, after the you-know-what, I petitioned for some hardware and software upgrades. Now we can use photographic facial recognition to help discover a person's ID and where they've been based on their appearance. I think now of all times it was worth the investment."

With a bit of searching and overcoming her moral inhibitions, Elsa found the program. "Doesn't this seem a bit intrusive?"

"Elsa, you of all people know what criminals these days are capable of. They have no morals, no honor, and they will take every inch they can get. This is the securest city in the world to trade and visit in, and people are willing to make a few sacrifices to keep it that way."

As the program ran for the first recorded frame, Elsa pondered. The answer she sought so desperately could be right here at her fingertips. So why did it not quite feel right? Perhaps it felt like she was stooping to their level. People being afraid of those who wished them ill was one thing, but Elsa swore that would never be the people sworn to protect them.

 _Only those who rightly fear their power deserve to wield it_. Then again, can that same saying not only apply to those with dubious intentions as well? This technology could be used for either common good or personal benefit. The line would be thin, but Elsa would have to remain ever vigilant. She checked the screen. No matches. "It looks like the first frame is a no-go. I'm moving to the second."

"Don't lose heart if this doesn't work out, Elsa. The technology is still relatively new. Besides, you've already done more that I could have hoped for at this point." Elsa always wanted to take his words to heart, but failure was not an option. To be stymied at this point would almost certainly prove fatal. This frame had the person slightly closer to the camera, albeit at the same angle. Finally, the tantalising wait was over.

 _Seven Matches_. Elsa groaned. They had gone from one extreme to another.

"Currently we're down to seven possible matches, sir. I suppose that's the best I could hope for given the quality of the image."

"That's certainly a lot better than having millions of possible suspects. I guess we'll have to work our way-" The chief continued to postulate, but Elsa had completely zoned out. When she saw the fifth possibility, her brain received the kick start it had needed. Synapses fired, and her memory resurfaced clear as day. The young woman she had confronted last night was staring right back in front of her on the computer monitor. Her chest stung as the memory of being shot resurged. Underneath her profile pic read one name:

"Red Weathers. The suspect we're looking for." So read the name next to the photo. "Before you ask; yes, I am certain. It's all come back to me."

"Really? That's great news. I'll send out word to all possible exit points to the city to keep a look out. Let's just hope we're not too late. Listen, I need to deliver my report to the mayor. There are some more search options you can use to help find where this "Red" might be. Let me know later if you turn anything else up, alright?"

"Will do, sir." Elsa looked at the program. There was plenty to be getting on with.

"And, Elsa? Please, don't do anything rash." The conversation ended. Elsa sat there, aghast at what she had just heard. Did he really need to say that? Of course he did. This was personal. It had been for a very long time. The White Hand would pay. In spite of her feelings, Elsa knew that she could ensure they did so the correct way.

She had a name and a face. Now she just needed a location. Would it have appeared anywhere else? Possibly. The White Hand could cover their tracks though. Would they have jammed all possible recordings? Possibly, thought they might lack contingency for a situation such as this. The White Hand wasn't the one she needed to find. This girl named Red was.

_If luck is on my side, perhaps Red is less thorough in covering her tracks…_

Elsa cross referenced the photo provided against all the available surveillance data in the city. Forty agonizing minutes later, the results were in: 23 matches. All of them from four days ago. From the trails they paint, there appear to be two separate routes with one point in common:the warehouse district.

_Please, don't do anything rash._

The chief's words rang clearly through Elsa's head.

* * *

"Come on, guys. This isn't funny any more!" Red yelled as she banged on the door  _again_. They couldn't have just left her there. Could they? No, they wouldn't have left her with the all the bits and piece she had been given while they had worked together. Perhaps they were busy with their client, negotiating price ranges **.**  Or maybe they were trying to keep the heat off. Even if they hadn't been told about the encounter, there was no way they could have missed the alarm that had went off.

They had a  _deal_ , damnit. She had given them everything they had asked for. Sure, she may not have wrapped a bow around it, but she had gotten the job done. And her only mistake was on the last heist. Couldn't they all just lay low again? Maybe they didn't want her to interfere again. That had to be it.

Red lay down on her bed. That was about all she could do. Not that she could sleep at a time like this. It wasn't fair. Couldn't she at least talk to them about this?

The metal bar on the other side of the door started to groan. Red jumped up.

_Maybe they could finally discuss this-_

_SMACK!_

Red had approached the door, expecting to be greeted by Rex, or someone whom he had chosen to send for her. Maybe even the boss boss himself. What she certainly didn't expect was the butt of a gun to clock her on the side of her head


	5. Sacrificial Protection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa moves in on her target, but more awaits her than she expected.

A first glance, Warehouse 373 gave Elsa not a great deal of information she was already aware of. It had the same dull shade of grey painted walls that were slightly peeling away, the same large sliding front doors, and the same attached office area by the back like any other warehouse around it. Upon closer inspection, she already deduced one crucial flaw.

It was too empty.

According to the information from what she gathered back at the office, there had been a lease on Warehouse for the past twenty-two months. Normally, a time span like would have been used by someone to start a business or store some large equipment inside (given the size and scope of this warehouse). But a cursory glance through the dirty windows showed an empty room bathed in darkness. Which brings her to another flaw.

The lights.

Many of the lights around the warehouse were operational, but there was no light coming from the inside. Assuming that a business would have been here, normal operating hours would mean that the lights would have been turned on. Even if the employees weren't carrying out their normal operations, there would have been at least a supervisor keeping an eye on the place. But there was no business or equipment stored in here. Just an empty warehouse. Factoring in the trail Red left, and this left Elsa with one only possibility:

_This warehouse is where White Hand resides…_

The simplicity of it all was perhaps its greatest strength: the apparent vacancy was what they wanted any passersby to believe. That there was nothing of note or value contained within.

Nothing to steal from.

But Elsa knew better. She felt suspicious about this place from the moment she entered in the warehouse district. If there's one thing she could trust after years of private detective work, it was her gut. However, that was still it all was. A gut feeling. As of yet, she had no hard evidence to confirm her suspicions, and by extension, no way she could get a warrant to search the place legally, much less in the time frame she needed. Elsa gulped. There really was no way forward within the bounds of the law. She had to stop the chief's words repeating in her head at this point.

_Don't do anything rash? Sorry chief. Looks like I'm gonna have to disappoint you…_

Elsa felt her heart pound with each step she took as she circled the warehouse, inspecting every minute detail of it. All the doors were secured though, and she knew there was no practical way to force entry. She lacked the equipment to pick the lock, and anything less technical would almost certainly be far too loud enough to remain discreet. Elsa was just about to give up when she her golden opportunity.

One of the escape ladders appeared to be stuck open. Elsa gripped one of the rungs and gave it a good tug. Reassuringly, it refused to budge. Nevertheless, it hardly made the option less risky. There was no guarantee that it would support her weight. A broken bone would just as easily end her investigation. She took a breath, and took the rungs one limb at a time. It seemed to hold. Still, she erred on the side of caution.

_One small step at a time, they always said. Left, right…_

Nothing shifted out of place.

_Left, right._

There wasn't so much as a single creak.

_Left, right._

Her heart soon begin going to overdrive, physically and mentally stressing her out.

_Left, right._

A small creak erupted from the ladder, freezing her in place. She waited for her falling death. After what seemed like eternity, she continued upward.

_Left, right, left, right, left, right..._

Eventually, she climbed up to the area above. A series of glass ceiling panels greeted her, with a smattering of small glass shards lining the area. Bending down to scoop a piece of glass shard, Elsa realized that upon closer inspection they turned out to be safety glass.

A thought came to mind, inspiring some hope.

By breaking these glass panels, she could gain entry in the warehouse. Looking to her right, she could see a semi-broken glass panel that was begging to be fully shattered. Not to mention that the shards of safety glass would greatly reduce the risk of cutting herself. And by rolling, she could greatly spread the force of impact all over her body, preventing any major shock damage. The calculations were in place. Now she only had her remaining doubts to deal with.

At this point on, there would be no doubt that she was definitely trespassing. If she was wrong and she was caught, she could face a criminal record. If the criminals really were here and she got caught by them, then it wouldn't be the law she had to be afraid of. With all this in mind, Elsa tugged on her gloves, grabbed the edges of the window and vaulted downward.

The truth awaited.

That was all that mattered.

Elsa landed in a smooth roll, back arched in perfect sync with her legs to survive a 20 foot drop. Dusting soot of her trench-coat, Elsa look at her surroundings. She was in room that appeared to be some sort of administration. Or at least, intended to be. There was little more than a few old wooden desks covered in dust and cobwebs to serve as adequate furniture. The door towards her left appeared to have a push bar system, meaning she could leave without having to climb out.

Now, it the search could begin in earnest.

Pulling out a small light, Elsa left the room through another wooden door, this one offering no resistance. There was a metal staircase, this one leading straight to the floor below. Once at the bottom, she scanned the area. Nothing. No goods, no machinery, no equipment. Only dust and cobwebs welcomed her. Was this place simply abandoned? If her hypothesis was true, they wouldn't need this space at all. She found her way to the nearest doorway.

A hallway greeted her. Noticing a switch, she flicked it on and waited. Not so much for the lights, but for any possible reaction to them. After a few minutes, nothing. With another breath, she pressed on.

Time and again, the dusty rooms she entered appeared to show no signs of recent use. On closer inspection, there were clean, spotless marks on the layer of dust that coated most of the surfaces. Some of them were even in clear, geometric shapes.

_So someone was here. Recently._

Heart pounding a million beats per second, Elsa pulled out her peacemaker and removed the safety. This was enough of a risk already. Suddenly, as if to reward her for her diligence, a shout on the side of the building screamed human presence.

"This isn't funny any more!" Elsa cocked her head, raising her gun.

_That voice!_

One of the last, final pieces of her memory slid back into place. Like an old rusted key inserting itself into a lock, the memories soon began turning and unlocking. That fateful night came back in force. That woman. The one who had slipped through her grasp and then mocked her. Elsa's blood pressure went up a notch. The banging continued briefly, allowing Elsa to track it to its source. She slowly approached the door, gun raised. No chances this time for mistakes. The door was for the most part similar to the others, only this one had a large metal bar keeping it secure. With ever so slightly unsteady breaths, she forced the bar aside, and pushed the door open. A blur of red and black was coming.

_SMACK!_

Elsa had instinctively made the butt of her gun into a makeshift club. Without so much as a thought to the consequences, she brought it down full force, scoring a clean hit on Red's forehead. As she clutched her head from the impact, Elsa seized up all of a sudden, guilt clawing at her torsos. This woman had cause her a fair amount of pain and misery for sure, but hitting her just didn't feel right. Most peculiar was that she couldn't figure out why.

 _She'll probably press charges. That must be it_.

Elsa resolved to be more careful. And not a moment too soon.

" _You_   _hit me!_ " Red was no longer distracted by the surprise attack, and launched a hook. Elsa simply rolled her eyes. A skilled thief she may be, but an experienced combatant she was not. Elsa raised her arm. The attack stopped cold. She latched on with her other hand, before turning her around. She had done it, twisting her arm around and gripping her from the back.

"You're  _under arrest_." Elsa's voice was cold; almost empty. There would be no tricks this time. Elsa would make her regret it.

"Stop, you're hurting me!" Red gasped, trying to squirm away.

Against her instinct, and perhaps her better judgement, Elsa loosened her grip. She felt herself edging closer and closer into the morally questionable territory. This wasn't why she had pursued this path so far. Was it? "Let's go, nice and easy. No sudden moves." She pressed the pair of them forwards.

"How? How did you find me?" Red managed to force out, still wincing.

"Let's just say I'm very good at what I do." Elsa would never admit to the sheer amount of luck that had gotten her this far, and a more technical explanation would probably go right over this girl's head. "One thing you should know about Arendelle: if you make a single mistake, we'll find it."

"So what, you're going to arrest me for real this time? Well hah! I'm not going to tell you a thing. Especially who it is I'm working for." Red gave a slight smile, though Elsa couldn't see.

That being said, Elsa has far from phased by this assertion. "We have very real charges we can press against you. That has not changed. I recommend that you put a great deal of thought into what you say. Unless that is, you have no information worth sharing. If they really believed you have any worthwhile information, they wouldn't have abandoned you."

"No, you're wrong! they wouldn't do that. They wouldn't" Red snapped, unsure which of them she was trying to convince.

Elsa sighed. "I hate to break it to you, but they're long gone. Everything and everyone is already gone. They're not-" Something caught her ear. Footsteps. Not too far away.

_Who's there?_

Suddenly, a number of black uniformed men came into view, as though out of the woodwork. None of them bore any acronyms or insignias she was aware of. That could only mean one thing.

 _Oh gods_.

Several of them lined up in the narrow space, a variety of guns arrayed against her. There were here for her, and not for a polite conversation. Elsa swallowed.

 _I need more time_.

Instincts kicked in. She pointed her revolver into the air and fired a single warning shot. Enough to give them pause at least. Ears ringing and nose filled with the acrid smell of gunsmoke, she retreated into the room she had been in not moments ago.

_They knew. They bloody knew. You're better than this, damnit!_

No. Self-pity would only get her killed faster. She had maybe a minute before they decided it was safe to advance. She still had her revolver. Five shots left. Enough to give them pause at least. And she still had her phone. Help could arrive long before any drawn out plan of theirs would work, and there was only one point of entry. Elsa tapped the buttons on her phone with all due haste. All she needed to do was stand her ground.

Maybe two minutes later, back to the wall, Elsa narrowed her eyes as the door came open. Three figures emerged, the same men from before advanced into the room, all wielding automatic weapons. While Elsa had kept her revolver trained on the mid-point between them, none of them had raised their weapons. Yet.

"Please, let's not do anything you might regret." The person in the center stepped aside, revealing a young man. Polished light brown hair, proper posture, around the same height. Not nearly as good as concealing a smug look as he thought.

_Must be the one in charge. Just what does he intend?_

Elsa didn't falter. She didn't intend to be the one with anything to regret.

"The police are on their way.  _Tread carefully_." The man's expression didn't change. Did that revelation not bother him, or did he refuse to show it? Elsa got the impression that his face was going to give nothing up voluntarily.

"The police are beneath us," the man scoffed. "Even here in Arendelle, we could be right under their noses and they would be none the wiser." He cracked a smile, revealing perfect, clean white teeth that made Elsa shiver just a bit. "But I don't need to tell you that, do I?" Elsa grimaced.

 _He knows_.

That only left one question for the moment. "So if you're not afraid of being caught, what are you waiting for?"

"A good question. You see, in spite of your rather rash decision to break in here alone, we believe that you are, for a lack of a better word, exceptional. And that's not a word I use lightly. To make so much progress on the Albernon heists? Very Impressive. To trace it back here? Even more impressive. Clearly, you're someone who gets things done." The man turned around, And Elsa narrowed her eyes. Was he really not afraid of a bullet to a vital? "Unfortunately, that now means that you're a problem. One that I have to deal with."

Elsa was all too aware that he could have done so already. Five bullets. 3 armed known hostiles in front of her. Unknown number of hostiles probably lurking in the shadows. No cover. He could take her down at any time, but instead he decides to lecture her. Elsa bit her lip. This was his plan all along. From the moment she entered in the warehouse alone, he knew he had the advantage.

Time. She needed more time. No matter what he asserted, there was no way he could weasel his way out once the police arrived in force.

"So what now?"

The man turned back to Elsa. "It's simple, really. While it  _would_ be all too easy to dispose of you with no one any the wiser, I do detest wasted potential. So I'm going to give you this offer once, and once only."

"And that would be?"

The man raised his arms, as if gesturing Elsa to join his fold. "Work with us. Achieve your true potential."

Elsa blinked. True potential? It didn't matter what kind of technology or skills they had, Elsa knew her true potential would  _never_  be on the wrong side of the law. "And what, I get my life in return?"

The man frowned first. Then, a smile appeared. Then, a soft laugh. "Oh, please. People like you and me? We're never truly satisfied with just living. To ask you to abandon your principles so cheaply is laughable. No, what I offer you is the truth. And that's just for starters."

The truth? She could figure that out on her own, thank you very much. She's a private detective, for goodness sake! Current predicament being an exception, She would have to lead him along. "So, what is it you think I'd be so interested in?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. The Scarlet Star! That was an admission of guilt if ever Elsa saw one. She steeled herself. He must have been particularly confident to pull that out. "The treasures of Albernon. Some of the rarest and most valuable stones of their kind. But surely you already know that."

"It's common knowledge at this point, isn't it?" retorted Elsa.

"The stones were-  _are_ impossible to replicate. That's what makes them so rare." Did he have something more to say on the matter? Elsa's curiosity was surprisingly piqued, criminal organisation or not. The man's smile grew. "Good. Even if you don't understand just yet, deep down you know there's more to these than meets the eye." He paused. Did he want that last line to sink in? "The world is about to change. I'm giving you one chance to be on the right side when it does. Choose. and choose wisely."

This was madness. This man was ostensibly offering a way into the very group that she had been chasing all this time. Did he honestly think that she would simply jump into his open arms? That she would not suspect treachery from them? Else decided. If there was any partnership in the future, there was no way it would ever be mutually beneficial. She was clearly out of time. "My answer is no."

"Huh." The men gathered raised their guns at Elsa. "Pity." Elsa knew she had only seconds before it was over. She leveled her gun at the man who she had spoken with. She wouldn't shoot to kill, but she'd given him something to remember her by. A nice trail of blood would give forensics plenty to work with regardless of how little he thought of them. She pulled the hammer, squeezed the trigger…

Nothing happened.

It wasn't as though her gun was unable to fire. That was perfectly clear. It was as if her trigger finger had frozen in place: refusing to listen obey orders. There was no reason that she wouldn't want to fire, given her situation. What the hell was going on?

_FWIP_

In her moment of introspection, Elsa had been shot again. This time, instead of a malignant narcotic entering her system, it was ten thousand volts. Her body briefly burned and stung at the same time, and she quickly sank to the floor, unable to move. She could only barely make out what was being said.

"Boss, is everything alright?"

"Better than alright. In fact, we can accelerate our plans. Get the men to take our little interloper to the shrine."

"And what of our intrepid little thief?"

"Once you've dealt with her, of course."

"Thought you'd never ask." The last thing Elsa heard was a short laugh and a smacking sound, followed by a grunt and something falling on to the hardwood dusty floor of Warehouse 373.

* * *

_Not again._

As Elsa's mind slowly pulled itself back into the world of the living, her memories began to resurface. This time however, they were in perfect clarity: she remembered the final moments before losing consciousness, which was something she now would preferred to have forgotten.

Not that it would have made the reality of her present situation any less harrowing.

The first thing to come to her attention was a low rumble, most likely emanating from a moving vehicle. As she strained to open her eyes, a low crimson light greeted her. She was in some kind of narrow room, accompanied by at least three others. Soon, she became acutely aware of a body-wide soreness. The worst of her discomfort was in her wrists, which she noticed were tied together by what felt like plastic binding. Her trench-coat was gone, and she could no longer feel any of her personal effects in her pockets.

"Oh, you're awake."

Elsa turned to the source of the deep voice, her vision now intact. One side of the room played host to a nexus of advanced electronics even she couldn't decipher from her current position, while the other seemed to have a cot which folded out of the wall. Two of the other occupants wore the same outfits as the men that had ambushed her, although it was impossible to tell if they were the same ones. In between them was -

_Phantom Red?_

Upon closer inspection, it appeared she was on the same position as Elsa herself: bound and unable to move. Only difference was that she was unconscious. For however long they had left, they were now sisters in binds.

"Where- where am I?" Elsa asked, struggling to break free but to no avail. Even if she were to break free from her confinement, she'd be up against 2 armed men. Words were the only weapon she had left at this point, even though she knew full well that the man wouldn't offer any useful information, if he allowed the conversation to continue at all.

"You don't need to know that just yet," the man said. "All you need to know is that you should have accepted the boss's offer. You could have been well rewarded" he gestured towards Red. "We had something very special in mind for her, but now it seems that you're going first."

_Something...didn't add up. A glaring chink in his line of logic._

"And this is Phantom Red's reward, is it? It looks like she did everything you wanted, and now she's little more than a loose end."

"Shut up!" he snapped. "Red here botched her last little job, and soon she'll pay the price. Even at the highest level, failure isn't tolerated."

Elsa closed her eyes. She could tell that even the man himself barely bought into that story. He's most likely another thug for hire, simply parroting what the boss tells him to do. "So even though she returned the jewel she set out to steal, leaving you more than enough time for a clean getaway, she still has to be punished with death? Don't tell me you're honestly naive-"

"ENOUGH! The boss's orders are absolute. End of story." Elsa notice the prominent veins on his neck and forehead **.**  The man seemed ready jump up at a moment's notice. If it weren't for the gravity of the situation and the fact it would probably earn her a smack to the face, Elsa would have laughed.

"I'm just wondering when your boss will order you to sign your own death - "

The man pulled out a pistol. "I said,  _enough_." He moved closer to her, pushing his covered face into her's. "Our orders only said that you need to be alive when we reach our destination. One more word out of you and I'll show you just how much the human body can endure."

She wasn't stupid enough to call him out. Soon, the man returned to his seat and holstered his gun. As the minutes turned to hours and the soreness finally started to fade, Elsa tried to gather as much information as she could about her surroundings. The collection of machines was still indecipherable and it wasn't like the men would allow her to make a closer inspection.

There was a metal door at the other end of the room, which hadn't opened since she had awoken. They were probably in a boat of a van of some kind, but Elsa had no way of being sure. The only sound came from Red herself, occasionally stirring from what seemed to be a very fitful sleep, if not unconsciousness.

At this point, it was almost certain that they had left Arendelle - a considerable risk with the borders on the lookout. Her dread told her that trying to further understand her situation would only worsen things further, but her inherent curiosity got the better of her anyhow. The White Hand have decided that she was a problem. Since the attempt to drug her fell through, they had now chosen to silence her permanently. However, they could have easily do so long before she had awoken. This left two possibilities:

_Either these people still have some unfathomable use for me...or they want to sate some kind of sadism…_

The worst part of it all was that these two possibilities weren't mutually exclusive.

* * *

The noise from the engine stopped completely. Elsa swallowed.

 _End of the line_.

The door on the other side finally opened, though nobody came through. Right on cue, the men got up and dragged Elsa to her feet.

"Time to go. No sudden moves." The man had his gun out, and the irony was not lost on Elsa. How long ago had it been that she had held Red at gunpoint? She forced herself forwards, edged on by the barrel of the gun. As she passed the doorway, Elsa saw the dashboard and realized they had traveled by road. She was quickly forced outside before she could make any further observations.

Once outside, she felt the air almost being sucked out of her lungs. It was the dead of night, with no moon to provide any lighting source. Not only was it pitch black, but positively frigid as well. Without her coat, she would probably suffer hypothermia within a few short hours.

Before her eyes could adjust, a floodlight came to life behind her, illuminating the area. It was quite the sight to behold. They were in some kind of small enclosure within the mountains, and judging from the stone formation that have been cut, smoothed, and covered in ruins, they weren't the first people to set foot here. In front of them was a large clearing with a stone pedestal in the center. Etched on its surface was some kind of inscriptions Elsa couldn't comprehend. A squared arch towered over it.

"Move!"

Elsa felt a jab from the gun of her captor, and walked forward straight towards the stone arch. Upon closer inspection, Elsa could also make out the lines of dirt running up the stone, suggesting that until recently it had been covered in foliage. As Elsa marched between the stone pillars, a pair of men approached her from both sides, chains and manacles in men kept a tight hold on her as they cut the bindings, replacing them with shackles and denying her any fleeting chance she may have had to flee. The shackles brought a fresh burst of freezing agony, eliminating any previous acclimation she had towards the cold. Any hope of escaping quickly dissipated.

Elsa looked around. 10 men surrounded were, each clad in the same pitch black outfit that revealed nothing about themselves. None of them were focusing on her, but she didn't care at this point. Whatever strength she had managed to gather had been utterly drained from her by the harsh cold. And as antiquated as the arch was, the chains holding her were brand new, reflecting the light from the distance. Even if there was something on her person that could help her, she couldn't possibly reach it at this point.

The light from the truck lowered until it was barely visible, leaving everyone blind again until their eyes adapted. Elsa could barely make out one of them returning from the vehicle and pulling out a small wooden box. With a pair of synchronized clicks, the box sprang open, revealing at least 5 gems. One by one, they were placed onto the pedestal.

_Are those...are those the treasures of Albernon?_

A terrifying epiphany struck her: they were going to use Elsa as a sacrifice in some kind of ritual. In spite of how ludicrous it all seemed, there was nothing she could do to stop it. These men had already decided that her death was necessary for them to continue their operations unimpeded. Trying to reason with them had almost gotten her beaten and bloodied. There was no way she could come close to the physical strength required to break the chains, even if she had hours. The group formed a circle around the pedestal, and began chanting some kind of mantra. Elsa could tell they were repeating the same words, but understanding them was all but impossible.

_So how are they going to take until they finish me? And with what? A dagger to the heart? Or a bullet in between my eyes? Perhaps it would be done with my revolver. Irony certainly is a bitch, even at death's door…_

She couldn't do anything to help herself or stop this madness. And no one was coming to save her. She was probably hundreds of miles away from anyone who cared. The only one close enough was the thief she herself had tried to take prisoner, but why would she save her captor to begin with? After all, she was the one who botched up her robbery in the first place. Assuming she woke up, she would simply use this opportunity to slip into the night.

Some of the men dropped to their knees, and the chant became a crescendo, becoming louder with each iteration. Still none of them came to finish her off, but it was only a matter of time. Perhaps she was hallucinating from stress or terror, but Elsa was sure the gems were starting to glow.

_Wait...why is the world suddenly getting blurry?_

As Elsa felt her eyes moisten, she realised: she wasn't ready to die. For all the risks bordering on absurd she had taken, she had a clear goal in mind. If she brought the White Hand to justice, she could put her past behind her and move on with her they caught her in the end. If only she knew how deep the rabbit hole went, she maybe she wouldn't have made that leap of faith. And yet, she dived anyway.

Even when she hit rock bottom, she still refused their offer to join their group. And the worst part of it all?

_No one would care whether I died right now…_

Her little office would close down, people would move on and all that awaited her memory was a death in absentia.

She was well and truly alone.

And she always would be.

The ritual intensified, and Elsa soon realized that she wasn't hallucinating: one of the gemstones was glowing and levitating above the pedestal. The mantra was a shout now, difficult to hear. It wouldn't be long before it could go no louder. It was a blue, much lighter than the Tear of the Goddess. As the light grew ever brighter, the smooth, crescent shape became clear. Elsa recognized it as the Shard of Selenial Ice, stolen from the Museum of Natural History in London.

Within seconds, the light emanating from the Shard was far brighter than the floodlight had ever been, bathing the entire area in a suffocating white light. The wind suddenly began to pick up, giving in intense howl that had completely drowned out the mantra. In fact, the Shard had begun exerting its own force, blasting the air away. As it begun to pick up, the group had allowed the mantra to fade into silence. The intense light had faded somewhat, and was now a glowing orb of almost pure white, floating within the air. The other treasures of Albernon descended back onto the pedestal. The Shard of Selenial Ice was gone, presumably acting as a source of the light.

If Elsa believed in such things, she would have called the light otherworldly. Something no man could possibly create. In that way, not too different from the gemstones themselves. Still, this  _had_ to be some kind of hoax. Whenever she had encountered supposed cases of things going bump in the night, it was usually someone overly superstitious getting jumpy. Or trying to cover up their own wrongdoing. Here was something that defied everything Elsa believed she understood. And apparently it would continue, with or without her permission. One of the men stepped forward, calling out to the source of the light. Still Elsa could not understand a word.

" _ **Speak in your own tongue, fool.**_ " Elsa jumped. The light had spoken. And this time, she could tell what it was saying with ease. The voice was deep, but undoubtedly feminine, and completely indistinguishable from a human's.

"You- you understand us?" The man asked. Normally an entirely redundant question, but these circumstances were anything but normal.

" _ **Though you have not pierced our veil for thousands of your lifetimes, we have watched. And we have waited. For we are always.**_ " This man was conversing with a light.

_This is bordering madness! This has to be some sort of elaborate set up! Maybe this is all a dream! Maybe -_

The man who stepped forward continued. "Then, my queen, your wait is at an end. We have prepared to receive your blessing, down to the letter. Our ritual has brought you here before us, and we have even prepared our tribute to you."

So this was their plan all along. She would be offered to whatever this voice was, and they would receive the 'blessing' in exchange. She realized she had only seconds left. All she could do was close her eyes, and wait for the end.

" _ **So be it. I am ready to bestow my blessings, as I have always been. Are you ready, mortals?**_ " spoke the light.

"Of course, my queen. Begin right away!"

_So this was how it ends...used as a pawn by the very people she was hunting. I'm supposed to be better than this, dammit! Why not-_

Her thoughts were quickly cut short. The light had stopped blasting air out, suspending dust particles and debris in the air. Moments later, and the reverse is taking place, with light inhaling all the nearby air like a vacuum.

Given the tight hold the chains had on her, this didn't seem like very efficient way to do her in. Or perhaps it wasn't intended to be. The force steadily mounted, and yet the chains still held fast. Did this Eldritch being want the satisfaction of her succumbing to despair? Well, she wasn't going to get it. Whatever dignity still remained was all she had, and she would be damned if she was going to give it up! Elsa opened her eyes as far as she could. Strands of black were obscuring her vision as her hair had now come loose, yet she remained stationary. Some of the group had turned to face her, presumably curious as to her incoming fate. Some remained fixed on the light. Then, one of the last things Elsa would have expected happened.

The man closest to the light (who had conversed with the otherworldly being) was lifted from his feet. A couple of seconds later, he was pulled straight into the light and consumed, never to return. If their actions, or lack thereof were any indication, the others there were just as surprised by this development as Elsa was. Many of them looked to each other, unsure of what course of action to take. There was no deliberation however, as the intense winds picked up the second of them and pulled them into the pure white vortex.

The silence of those who remained quickly turned to sheer terror. They all now dispersed from the light source, attempting to avoid the same fate. Some of them cried out, while others clung on to whatever piece of rock they could. One even cried out for help, giving Elsa a small amount of grim satisfaction. What would they do to trade places with her at this point. One by one, they all suffered the same apparent end, as the rocks offered them no purchase against the winds. One of the men made it was far as the vehicle, and scrambled to open the door. What was done could not be undone. Almost instinctively, the light unleashed a tendril, grasping the man and sealing his doom. The man cried out futilely, but to no avail.

Of the eleven people who had set foot in the courtyard that night, only Elsa now remained. There was no time to ponder the meaning of it all, as the mass of white light was starting to pick up energy. Wisps of light started to orbit them main light, growing faster with each passing second. Finally, the light exploded, sending out a massive shockwave. A blast of pure white spread out from its center, stopping just short of the mountains.

Elsa felt it pass straight through her, and yet it felt like it had clung onto her very soul. She thought she had acclimatised to the cold. Or at least she had stopped noticing it. Now,she felt like death itself.

World blurring before her, Elsa could feel her strength slipped away. The last thing she heard was the sound of metal splintering.

* * *

This time, Elsa awoke from her slumber with a jolt. Springing upright, she remembered every little detail that took place beforehand. Patting her body down, Elsa checked for any fatal injuries. She barely noticed the fragments of metal lying on the ground, which had chained her to the stone.

_Gods. I'm alive…_

A wave of elation passed over Elsa. Here she was, very much alive. But how? The ritual had failed, there was no doubt about that. Had that man offended the being on the other side? Or was there some other reason that they had all been pulled to their doom? It hardly mattered in the end. They had messed with powers beyond their comprehension, and paid the ultimate price.

For the first time in forever, Elsa had absolutely no interest in investigating the scene. This place would always be one of dread and forces beyond her understanding. Once her eyes had adjusted, Elsa scooped up the gems from the pedestal and made her way back to the van that had brought her here. In a stroke of luck, the door wasn't locked. It would have been a rather sick twist of fate for her to survive only to be stranded out here.

For the first time in forever, Elsa felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Not only had she found the keys to start the vehicle on the dashboard, but her personal effects were there too, including her revolver and her phone. The latter part proved to be a mixed blessing as her phone was without signal and only had enough battery left for a few minutes. With calling for help not an option, Elsa turned to the back of the van where she had awaited her end maybe an hour ago. Red was still there, not stirring.

For the first time in forever, Elsa looked at the young woman, a brazen, unashamed criminal, and felt no contempt. For all she had done, Elsa had never felt even the slightest bit of malice or cruelty from the woman. Had the ritual gone as those men had planned, she would have suffered the same fate as Elsa. Unlike herself, this woman had entrusted the White Hand. And this was to be her reward. Elsa steeled herself, and made her way to the driver's seat.

For the first time ever, Elsa would take a criminal out of incarceration.


	6. Second Impressions

Darkness.

Red was surrounded by it. That was the one thing she was sure of. Sometimes, it felt as if it was the only thing she had ever known. Though every now and then, she would feel a sliver of light approach her. It would glide closer to her, only for it to vanish. Why couldn't she keep up?

Finally, the area around her started to light up, just enough to see clearly. There were three walls of dull grey. And the last was cut off by a series of dark bars.

_No. Nononononono. Not here. Please, not here._

"Whassa matter, Red? You lost?"

Red snapped as a gruff female voice boomed behind her. She turned about, only to be greeted with another blank wall. No face.

"You never did have much idea where you were going, did you." The voice seemed to stay behind her, no matter which way Red faced.

"Why?" asked Red.

A smug laughed echoed throughout the room. "Isn't it obvious, Red? Because you never grew up."

"Because you're no good to us." Another more distant voice called out, this one much deeper.

"Because you've exhausted your use." More voices from seemingly nowhere.

"Because we don't want you."

"Because  _no one_  wants you."

More voices began to appear, assaulting her from seemingly nowhere behind the walls.

"Shutupshutshutupshutup. SHUT UP!" Red screamed, closing her eyes and ears. When she couldn't hear anything, she opened her eyes.

"What the - "

The entire room was covered in ice now. So why didn't she feel cold? Just then, the ice under her feet started to crack, piece by piece. The light faded slowly again, just as the floor was sure to give out. The last thing Red saw was a hand, trying to reach out to her from above.

* * *

Red threw her eyes open, panting heavily with cold sweat on the brow.

_It-it was...just a...dream...just a dream...I hope…_

Lying on her sweaty backside, her senses began to kick in as they explored the room before her. After a few second, she noticed there seem to be some sort of light filtering from nearby window.

_Hm...window. I might still in the city._

Red lifted her body up to an upright position to get a better view of the room. It was only then that she noticed soft blanket on top of her.

_How did this get here?_

She shook her head. There was still the task at hand. Rex had explained…

_Rex..._

Just like that, the events that had unfolded what seemed like minutes ago came crashing back. When they finally appeared at the hideout, Red thought that they had come to save her from that gun-wielding detective who somehow managed to track her down back to their base. Or so she had believed.

In the end, it was just an act. All of it was.

Red let out a soft groan. Two years. Ten heists. Thefts valuing in the millions. And nary a single hitch in all of it. In the end **,**  she was little more than a loose end. And for what? So they didn't have to cut her in? So that she wouldn't be a problem? A burden in the near future? She had done everything they wanted. Not once did they have any reason to doubt her.

Though the same could be said for them.

_Look how that turned out._

What truly happened, anyway? And for what purpose? A million other questions raced through her mind, but from the looks of things (as well as the place she was in right now), they won't be getting any answers for quite some time. Slowly, Red got out from the mattress, eyes adjusting to what little light there was in the room as they began properly exploring the room before her. Several pieces of furniture dotted the room. A lamp on her beside offered her the possibility of a clearer view, but she couldn't risk blowing her cover.

There were three doors as far as she could see: two at the far end of the room and one almost directly to her right. Walking silently to get a closer inspection, the door closest had a spinning lock on the handle but little else. All she would need was a knife or a screwdriver and she could jimmy it open.

_If you're trying to keep me locked up you're not doing a very good job._

Red turned the handle. The door came loose.

_Were they even trying? Could be a trap, but I haven't had enough of those yet…_

She pushed the door all the way and took a step forward.

_You!_

This room was as dark as the last one, making it harder of her to see, but there was no mistaking that trench coat. The detective was sound asleep before her. On top of the bedstand next to her laid the same gun she used to club her in the face.

Red's bruise on her face started to ache from the memory. Curiously though, she couldn't bring herself to take any satisfaction from what happened to her moments later. Especially after she had suffered the same thing. Only hers had the added sting of betrayal. Tilting her head, Anna noticed that the woman seemed to be lying face first on her bed. Red began looking around her room. The detective hadn't even bothering to draw the curtains or lock the door. Red felt a pit in her stomach.

_What if she's-_

Inch by inch, she stepped closer, until she noticed signs of movement. Red stopped holding her breath. Red could finally start to piece together what had happened, though that seemed to raise as many questions as it answered. Whoever this woman was, she had somehow managed to escape from Red's employers  _and_ managed to get Red herself out at the same time.

How that had happened was something Red was fine with not knowing. The question she couldn't let go of however was why she had ended up here, after this woman was so adamant on arresting Red. In the end, she would just have to leave that one alone. Because there was always a chance that was still her intention. Even with the potential element of surprise, she had no desire to push her luck.

Red slowly backed out of the room, silently closed the door behind her, and headed towards what appeared to be the front door. There was little sense in staying here any longer, and there was no denying that her position was not very enviable. Still, this was far from the worst she had experienced. She would simply have to do what she had always done.

Survive.

* * *

On the desk in front of where Elsa sat was just one thing. A single, clear, plastic sleeve. Inside was a single bullet.

Her bullet.

"We found this lodged in the wall in the warehouse district," Roe explained. "The same place you happened to send a distress signal. You care to explain?"

Elsa had no words. She had been dreading this particular conversation for the entire journey to the station. There was no way she could possibly have justified her course of action, especially considering the last conversation they had.

Roe slammed the desk with both hands. "Damnit, Elsa! I told you, didn't I?" he seemed more betrayed than angry. She couldn't exactly blame him. "You should have called some backup to go with you. What if something happened to you." Elsa quietly gulped.

 _What if indeed_.

The chief paused for a moment. "I wouldn't have gotten you involved in this if I wasn't at my wit's end. Even from the beginning, this was just too personal for you." He turned to face the window. "I've lost a few good men and women in this line of work. And some not so good. We have more enemies out there than most people realise. I don't want to lose you as well."

_If only you knew…_

The chief turned to face her. "Well, you're here now. What do you have to report?"

Elsa suspected she hadn't heard the end of that, but at least now she could deliver some more promising news. Though she still hadn't quite figured out how she was going to explain this away.

 _With any luck, he won't prod too deep. Here goes_.

With a deep breath, she reached into her coat and pulled out a small wooden box. She laid it out on the table and quickly popped it open.

The chief gasped. "You didn't."

Elsa managed a smile "I did." There in that box sat five of the ten treasures, the ones used to initiate the ritual in the mountains. Not that anyone would ever believe her. The Tear of the Goddess was among them, but Elsa had found no trace of the Scarlet star. "I'm sorry sir, I couldn't recover all of them."

"Well I'll be." for once, the chief was at a complete loss for words. "You're certain these are genuine?"

"You know that the treasures  _can't_ be faked. At least, not convincingly. That was what made them so unique." She was also certain that a counterfeit couldn't be used as a catalyst for an ancient, occult ritual. Not that she'd ever mention that. Still, she needed  _something_ to explain how she had gotten her hands on them. "You see, when I arrived at the warehouse, I found myself outnumbered, and I was forced to go with them. As soon as they left however, there seemed to be disagreements on how they were dividing the profits from their schemes. It seemed that it quickly escalated into full blown infighting."

Roe nodded. There wasn't any reason not to believe her at this point, and the financial angle was far more plausible than what Elsa knew to be the truth. Hopefully an all too understandable fear for her life would cover any potential holes in her story. "When the violence started, I managed to slip away under cover of darkness. I took one of their vehicles and managed to make it back to the city, I don't believe any of them managed to follow me."

The chief didn't seem entirely convinced, but Elsa knew it would be extremely difficult to challenge her based on this. In her experience, the best lies were the ones that were mired in just enough of the truth.

"Wait, you managed to take one of their vehicles as well? Where is it now?" At first, this seemed to be a strange point to focus on, but it made enough sense. It was the simplest way to confirm her story, and being able to trace the vehicle's possible history could be a goldmine of information on their elusive enemy.

 _Not to mention all the technology on board_.

Of course. Why hadn't she mentioned that already? To be fair, the return from what Elsa was certain was her death had left a fair amount on her mind.

Elsa left a key on the desk. "It's black van. I left it at the impound. I wanted it to be some place secure, but I was also worried about the possibility that they left some kind of way to remotely destroy it. There's a lot of complicated technology aboard, and I doubted they would simply allow it to fall into our hands."

Roe stared at the key. "We better not waste any time then." He grabbed the key and walked out of them room, returning a couple of minutes later. "I'm not going to lie, your story does seem a bit sketchy. I'm not saying it's impossible, but for such a well organised and advanced group to slip up like this."

"Why would I lie to you about something this serious, sir?"

 _Besides that fact that the truth is even stranger_.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. This whole case has put all of us on edge. I'm not saying you weren't careless, but now you're the only reason heads aren't going to roll. Not for the first time, either." He sighed, locking eyes with Elsa. "Please, promise me you'll be more careful from now on. This doesn't have to be a personal crusade."

Elsa couldn't bring herself to look him back in the eye at that point.

 _It's already far too late for that_.

"I'll be more careful in future. I promise." For once, she was completely sincere. "What's the next step in the investigation?"

The chief sighed. "I think you've done enough for now. I want you to go back to the hospital like you promised. Then I want you to take a couple of days to clear your head. We'll verify these and secure the vehicle, and see if we can find any useful information."

Elsa frowned at him. "I'm  _fine_."

"That's what you said last time. And then you ended up walking out on us. Please, Elsa. Do this for me. We all care about catching these people just as much as you do."

_He's really putting his foot down._

When she stopped and thought about it, he was making a certain amount of sense. Even if he didn't have the whole story, he knew that Elsa had come too close to dying for comfort. It was only when she took a step back on the situation she realised how mad things had truly gotten.

 _You let the criminal you were pursuing walk free, for heaven's sake_.

It really had seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but of course she had already vanished in the morning without so much as a note, which could have cost them some useful information. In hindsight, it wasn't a surprising outcome.

"You're probably right. As long as there's no pressure to figure things out right away, I'll take a moment to catch my breath. Just make sure to keep me updated."

Roe nodded. "Don't worry, I will."

* * *

It should have been simple: find an unsuspecting mark; part them with anything within reach; avoid the cops.

_Should have been. Would have been. Could have been._

It wasn't like the people in the city made it especially difficult. Even in the cold and the ever-shortening days, there were plenty of tourists going about, looking for the best deals.

Surprisingly few officers were on patrol. Arendelle Port City may have boasted one of the best response times in the world, but that didn't make a difference when the target was none the wiser until it was far too late.

In the end, Red had found that the greatest obstacle by far was herself. It had taken a while for her to realise. She had tried to explain her reluctance by the fear of getting caught. It had been a while since she had last done anything like this, and by all counts, her last crime had ended with that detective finding her. No matter how much she tried to forget about that, it kept coming back to her.

She remembered being jumped. Being smacked in the face. Being betrayed. In the end, the one thing that had stuck out to her the most was when she had woken up after another round of bad dreams. She wasn't in any danger, locked up, or even tied up. And it was all because of that woman. That...detective. She couldn't understand why, but she had chosen to let Red go. To give her a second chance even she didn't think she deserved. And to go right back to stealing afterwards-

_Why do you even care what she thinks?_

Question of the year:  **hasn't** Red asked herself that already? There really was no denying it. There was something special about her. Red had suspected it after their first run-in over the Scarlet Star. And now, looking back she knew for sure. After having every reason to believe that they would never meet again, there she was. Clubbing her face with that gun.

_Still hurts a little…_

So, as she weaved from place to place around the city, the temptation to steal was growing stronger with each mark she found seemingly easier than the last, only to be stopped at the last second by her growing conscious. Every time she closed her eyes, that woman's face would appear, complete with an icy glare and backed up by the cold, hard barrel of a gun. She couldn't do it.

_But I'm gonna have to sooner or later..._

The sounds her stomach was making seemed to agree with her. Looked up at the sky, it was mid-afternoon, but it wouldn't be too long until the sun set. She'd also have to think about where she was supposed to sleep. It was already bitterly cold, and things weren't going to get better as it got dark. Then again, she had always did felt more comfortable in the dark. More confident. Like anything was possible. Given what she had done in the past two years, anything was possible. She just needed some time to forget that woman. Forget about this whole thing.

Ahead of her was a park. Not a bad place to lay low for a while. With the cold and the trees bare there wasn't any reason for people to hang around here. Sure, there would be the occasional passerby, but it hopefully no one would come looking for her here. She pressed forward, finding the best place to sit down and catch her breath.

_Seems I'm not the only one looking for some quiet..._

There was one other person in the distance. Who in their right mind would choose to come out here? At least she seemed to be more appropriated dressed. Red was still forced to wear her black heist clothes, while this person seemed to been covered with a trenchc-

 _No. Anyone but her_.

Really, what were the chances? The  _one_ person in this city know would recognise her. The one person who knew everything.

 _The one person who let you go_.

Then again...who said she would be so merciful a second time? She could have changed her mind over the course of the day. It simply could have been a mistake that she had been allowed to escape at all. Red's mind screamed at her to run. It told her to get as far away from this place as she possibly could, to hide somewhere no one could find her, to flee this city for the next hundred years or so..

_Crap. What is this...the 3rd time I got caught by her? What is she gonna do to me? Would she arrest me? Guilt me into coming quietly? Pistol whip me agai-_

"Hi." said the detective, taking a seat right next to Red.

Red felt her hair stand on end. She certainly hadn't expected that. This had to be some kind of mistake. Detectives like her don't usually strike idle conversation with the thieves they plan on chasing to the ends of the universe, right?

"Uh, hi me?" was about all Red could muster at this point. The other woman simply panned her head left and right, no doubt towards the complete lack of other people around. She didn't say anything, but the message was quite clear.

_Yes, you._

Red finally managed to face her. It was strange. Red had never even noticed how good she looked before. Sure, she could probably spend some more time working on it in the morning. And that black hair wasn't doing her any favours. But those were just nitpicks. It was surprising what you started to notice when you didn't have a gun pointed at you. Still, she needed something to talk about. Something witty to show she was more than just a career criminal.

"This is some weather we're having, isn't it?"

_Smooth. Real Smooth._

The detective didn't laugh, or even snort. She simply looked up to the sky. "It's supposed to start snowing soon. So, are you here to turn yourself in?"

Red blushed, letting out a sigh of relief. No arrest - just another conversation for her. "What, no, I, just, I think." She took a deep breath. "I just wanted to talk, okay?"

The other woman nodded. "No doubt you have questions."

"Wait, how did you know - ." Red cut herself, reminding herself that this was the woman who tracked her down in a day after being hit with a memory loss dart. Something like that was probably child's play. "Will you answer them?"

The detective smiled, something Red wished she had seen much sooner. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you come to my office, and then we can exchange information. There are a few things I'd like to ask you as well."

"Well, alright. But don't try anything, okay?" If nothing else, she'd be out of the cold for a while.

* * *

In fairness, this wasn't the strangest day of Elsa' life. It's not everyday you meet up with a criminal you just let go of in the middle of a public park. The again, it's not every day that a criminal organisation tied you and tried to sacrifice you to some esoteric goddess. All of these strange events felt like they were creating a swirling storm in her mind, and it was difficult to discern what made sense and what didn't.

_Perhaps I really did die and this is some kind of abstract afterlife._

Even if it was, she still wanted to reach the truth about the case in front of her, in spite of all of her inhibitions. They certainly weren't making it easy on her. The details of the strange ritual she was unwillingly involved in were still vivid in her mind, as was the combination of dread and regret she felt.

_Am I really still going forward because this is worthwhile, or a sunk cost?_

That was the question that had been stuck in the forefront of her mind since her trip to the police station. Time should have made it fade, but it only seemed to make it worse. Deep down it was obvious that it was only a matter of time before her luck ran out. If she hadn't already exhausted her supply of it the previous night.

And then there was the young woman. The thief she had run into...yet again. With her current lack of information, getting a read on her intentions was more or less impossible. Elsa found it impossible to believe that she was still working with the White Hand given their unscrupulous intentions. A thief like her couldn't possibly have been aware of any of that.

Was it really a coincidence that they had run into each other? If she really wanted to speak with Elsa so badly, the thief already knew where she lived. On the other hand, if she never wanted to see her again she would certainly have turned tail the moment she noticed Elsa. It wasn't as though she looked any different than she normally did.

Eventually, her wait for answers as coming to an end as they reached her office. Whether the answers were want she wanted or would even be truthful remained to be seen.

 _She hasn't said anything on the way here. Perhaps she too has something on her mind_.

As they reached the door of the office, the redhead stopped suddenly.

"Wait, this is your office? I thought you were a detective. Like, a  _police_ detective." Elsa almost glared at her. Then she realised that wasn't the most unreasonable assumption to make, given their past encounters.

"I'm a private investigator if you must know. The police called for my help after the Tear of the Goddess was stolen." The thief nodded. "Besides, if you really believed me to be a police detective, weren't you worried about going to a police station?"

She shrugged. "Well, I figured if you were with me, it would be okay." She tapped her foot. "Can we go in already?"

Elsa pushed the door open. "After you."

The pair of them entered the office where Adam was still working. "Oh, you're finally back. Who's your friend?"

Elsa gestured towards her office. "Wait in there a moment, alright?" The other girl nodded and went ahead. Elsa turned to Adam. "I'm just gathered what information I still can from the heists. She's a, well, she claims she witnessed something that I needed to know, though I doubt much will come of it."

"You okay, boss? You look like you've been through the grinder." Elsa sighed. He really didn't know when to quit.

"I'm fine, alright? This case is been rather stressful. I haven't forgotten about that other client, don't worry. Just as soon as I've finished this I can get started on that." Just as she finished, Elsa felt a wave of fatigue wash over her. Perhaps she was being too harsh. There was nothing wrong with showing concern. But Elsa could handle herself. She always did.

"Alright, if you say so. I think you better get to it." Just like that, he was back to his typing.

Elsa proceeded into her office. "Sorry to keep you waiting." The thief had already taken the liberty of sitting besides the desk, so she took her usual seat, on the opposite. "Now, I'm going to ask you a series of questions, some of which may concern your involvement with the group known as the White Hand. You don't have to answer any of them, but if you choose to I'd like you to answer honestly, and to the best of your ability. I promise you nothing we say here will leave this room." All Elsa had to go on at this point was the fact that she hadn't arrested this woman already even though she could have.

"That's fine. But I get to ask you a question in return, okay?" Elsa stared briefly, then nodded. She had offered an exchange of information after all.

"Very well. Why don't we start with your name first of all?" As strange as it felt, Elsa was no longer comfortable in simply thinking of the woman as "the thief" (or Phantom Red if she was feeling theatrical).

"Well, I never really had a real name. I just sort of went with Red since-," she looked out of the window briefly. "Well, for as long as I could remember." So Red was just a name she preferred? Was that why she used the same name in her alias? "Okay, my turn. What's  _your_ name, then?"

Elsa was a little surprised. Not only was Red more interested in her than she perhaps might have liked, but that also raised an interesting question.

 _Did she really not go looking for my name when she woke up_?

"Fair enough. The name's Elsa Fresia, private investigator. Alright, next question. If you don't mind, could you describe your actions after you woke up last night?"

Red closed her eyes, scrunching her head. Did she have trouble remembering, or was she simply wary of what she might say? "Okay, so I just woke up and I was kinda surprised about what had happened. I mean, I thought they'd come to help me out, then, then they-" she stalled for a moment.

The detective in Elsa wanted to know more about those people. But the rest of her could see that this young woman was still hurting from the betrayal. "Please, take your time."

Red managed to compose herself after a few more seconds of silence. "Okay, so I was kinda surprised when I saw you. I mean, you wanted to throw me jail and all that, so I kinda ran away after that. But then, I sorta didn't have anywhere to go. Or any money. I thought about taking something but I didn't, I swear."

"It's alright, I believe you." She reasoned that Red wouldn't commit a crime, then visit the one person who could prove it for a discussion. What Elsa had more trouble believing was that Red really had no contingency plan. That is, outside what the White Hand had given her. Was she really so quick to trust a group of organised criminals?

 _Or did they do something to win her trust. I'm not sure how far I can inquire on this one_.

"Okay okay, my turn now." Red suddenly locked eyes with Elsa, which made the detective wary. It seemed this was about to get personal far more quickly than she had initially expected. "So why did you let me go then? You kept saying ' _oh we'll see how quickly you'll talk when you're in jail!_ ' Only you sort of didn't. No- not them I'm ungrateful, mind you."

Elsa's instincts were right. This  _was_ personal. The question was hardly surprising, but weighing the best way to answer such a thing was more challenging than she had imagined. She was under no real obligation to be truthful, but there was still the slight risk that Red would realise and respond in kind. She couldn't hesitate too long either, that would also look suspicious. Time to go all in. "The truth is, I don't think any of us were fair to you. While there's no doubt that you're broken multiple laws in this city alone, I assumed you were fully complicit with the actions of the White Hand, and as such I allowed that assumption to get the better of me. Whether I'm working directly with law enforcement or not, I should  _never_  have to go so low as to assault a suspect without cause. And what they intended to do to you I believe to be far worse. Civic duty or not, I believe you're not a hardened criminal. So I'm giving you this chance. This  _one_ chance to turn your life around." Red looked almost dumbstruck for the next few seconds. "I'm sure you still have some questions left?"

She bit her lip. "Well, I uh, alright. So how did you get away? The last I saw you were getting shocked."

Elsa frowned, not because of the question, which she could give the same answer as she did before. Rather that set of memories was something she would prefer not to remember. Her answer could simply retread what she had said before. "Well, as far as I can tell you weren't the only one they intended to turn on. Only now they became more suspicious. After they turned on each other, I managed to escape in the chaos. Fortunately, you were there in the same vehicle when it happened." It wasn't the  _exact_ same story, but the embellishments would hopefully sell it better.

"I- I see." Red closer her eyes, scrunching her head. Had she run out of things to ask? Elsa had a few more questions at least, but there was always a chance Red would refuse to say any more. Especially with how personal some of the questions she had in mind. "Okay, so what are you going to do now?"

Elsa wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. Specifically, she wasn't entirely sure what the answer was to herself. She was the only one who knew it, but it was more than a miracle that she was still alive at this point. If she went any further into this, her luck would almost certainly run out, in more ways that one. The White Hand had chosen to tangle with forces even they clearly didn't truly comprehend, but it was almost certain they wouldn't make that kind of mistake in the future. Elsa knew all too very how rarely they did.

And yet, to walk away now would leave her unsatisfied. The mystery was now deeper than ever before and somehow, she knew that she would always remember. That she could never truly ignore this. What's more, if the White Hand ever found out she had survived she would be in mortal danger all over again. They might even assume that it was her fault that their men had died. No matter how long it took, there could be no doubt.

The only way left was forward.

"I intend to continue my pursuit of the White Hand. They have in their possession dangerous technology and even more dangerous intent, and if they continue to operate unchecked, who knows what kind of damage they could do."

Red suddenly perked up, and Elsa fought the instinct to go for her gun. In the end of the day, this was a criminal. "In that case. Please, let me help you."

Elsa froze. "Wait, what?"

Red suddenly balled her hands in front of her face. "Look, I know what I did, especially to you. If I'd had known what would happen, I never would have shot you with that dart. Hell, I would have them to stick their heists right up their - look, I want to make them pay for what they've done, and you're probably the only one in the world who can catch them. And, well, I don't really have anywhere else to go. If I go back onto those streets, I'll have no choice but to start stealing again. And, I really don't want to."

"Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back." Elsa got up and walked out of the office into the nearest restroom. She proceeded to stare at the window, trying to comprehend what this woman had asked her.

On the surface, it seemed like undiluted madness. Or at the very least, some kind of elaborate ploy. Yet on further analysis, Elsa realised how little sense that made. Any hypothesis that involved Red still working for the White Hand relied too heavily on coincidence and happenstance, while any kind of personal agenda was discredited by the fact that anything Red could have wanted to do, she could have easily done already. Unless the "nowhere to go" part" was a lie, Elsa didn't suspect the girl to have any kind of long term plan in mind.

There was also the question of logistics. Elsa was far from secure financially, and putting up this young woman would only strain her budget even more. There was almost no way that Red could be gainfully employed given her likely lack of official citizenship and credentials. Elsa suspected that her skills outside of thievery were few and far between, so there likely weren't many other ways she could aid the investigation directly.

On further thought, that wasn't entirely true. There were still a number of questions that remaining unanswered, and Elsa suspected that if she didn't agree to Red's request it may stay that way. Furthermore, she suspected that Red was honest about her uncertain future. She certainly wouldn't remain uncaught for long on the streets of Arendelle city once she started to draw attention to herself. Getting her ultimately thrown in prison would defeat the point of letting her free to begin with.

A few minutes later, Elsa returned to where Red was still sitting patiently. Any longer and she might have suspected that Elsa had called the police on her. She finally had her answer.

"Alright, I'll work with you. But first, we have to talk about some rules."


	7. With Enemies Like These

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Happy new year to all of you, and I hope you enjoyed your holidays. Thanks for bearing with me as I pushed my creative engine as best I could. A special thank you to Vesfahloc who helped me with editing once again (even though I keep forgetting to credit her. Whoops).
> 
> Again, all feedback is appreciated as I try and get this relationship off the ground.

"Now, before we go back in, would you care to tell me the rules you agreed to?"

_She just had to bog this down with all these rules. You're making it super hard to like you right now._

Red let out a small groan. In truth, there weren't a huge number of rules, nor were they that hard to remember. And yet so far, Red hated all of them. She couldn't exactly call them unfair, but she'd try and get Elsa to loosen up as much as possible. Maybe in the future there would be a little more trust between them.

She bit her lip. "Okay, first of all you said no leaving your place without your permission."

_That rule's gotta go, pronto. Or this won't really be worth it._

Red continued. "What was the next one- oh yeah, no touching your stuff _without your permission_ either."

_This should be easy, once I ask enough times-._

"Not to worry," Elsa cut in . "I'll brief you about what's off limits once we enter."

Red gave the slightest scowl. So much for that plan. "You also said I have to sleep on the sofa as there's nowhere else."

_To be honest, I've had worse, though I wouldn't mind a spot in that bed of hers. One thing at a time, Red. One thing at a time..._

"And lastly, I'm only here because you want me to be here. If you tell me to leave, I _have_ to leave."

_So there it-_

Elsa rather loudly cleared her throat "Actually, you missed one. I told you that for any questions I ask you, you must answer completely truthfully and to the best of your ability. My ability to track down your former accomplices may depend on it." She turned her key and pushed the door open. "After you."

"Uh, thanks?" Red moved through into the all too familiar room (in the sense that it was just as dark as the last time). A couple of seconds later, the light came on, and Red got a much better feel for the place than the last time.

It was clear from the first look that this was the home of someone with not a lot of money to spend. So they had chosen to spend a time on it instead. There was not so much as a speck of dirt or dust to be found, even though it looked like the living room area wasn't used very often. There were parts where the walls and ceiling showed their age, sure, but there probably wasn't a lot that could be done about that. Besides the kitchen, the living area and a small dining table there also appeared to be two doors Red vaguely remembered seeing the last time.

"So, uh, I like what you've done with the place," Red finally said.

_Crap - why can I never say the right thing? She probably thinks you're stupid now._

Elsa paused. "It isn't any different from when you were here last. In any case, this is my home. And, I suppose yours as well for the time being." She stopped for a moment, before walking up to the door to her room and pulling it shut. "For now, you're not allowed to go into my room. That should be all. Remember, you have to stay here until it's safe."

Red prepared her best frown. "So you really expect to stay in these two rooms because you say so?"

"I _expect_ you to lay low until the police decided to call off their search." Elsa answered coldly. Turning around, she noticed Red's startled expression, then added softly, "You need not worry, I doubt they will continue for too long."

_Okay, even to me that sounds too good to be true._

"What makes you think they'll just give up? After all, didn't they need to call _you_ to help them?"

"It's how these things work," Elsa explained, sitting down on the sofa. "It's true that they're desperate to catch the criminals whole stole the treasures, but they don't want to _look_ desperate. Arendelle Port City's depends on its reputation, which depends on everything looking fine. The longer things stay on high alert, the more worried people become."

Red eventually managed a nod. "So they're really just going to give up like that? They're not going to chase me down?"

"Not if they think it's a waste of time. I believe that soon they'll come to the conclusion that you're not in the city any more and they'll move onto more important things. I'll try and keep updated on it, but for now I want you to lay low for me, okay?" And there was that smile again.

_How can I stay mad at her or my situation? I just hope she doesn't figure out that's my weakness._

A few seconds later, something else struck her about what Elsa had just said.

_She's really sticking her neck out for me. Does she really believe in me? I don't know if I can really start a better life. But I have to try. For her._

"Okay, okay. If you think it's that important, I guess I can do it just this once." Just the, Red's stomach suddenly decided to say hi.

_Shut up, you're ruining everything!_

Elsa just laughed softly. "I'm guessing you haven't had anything to eat in a while. Why don't you go into the bathroom and clean up. I'll make something for dinner. How does that sound?"

_Wait, I can't smell that bad, ca-_

She took a sniff under her arms.

_Oh._

It had been a while. And between the bad dreams and her chance encounter, she'd worked up quite a sweat. Had Elsa noticed or was she just being cautious?

Red got straight to it before another body function decided to embarrass her. As she closed the door to the bathroom she found the place just like the rest of the apartment: clean, if a little run down and surprisingly lacking in clutter. Still, things were looking so much better than they did a couple of hours ago.

_I'll show all of you. Time for a whole new Red._

* * *

The rest of the evening had passed without much fanfare. Elsa had managed to prepare a modest meal of eggs on toast (which happened to be the closest to expiry at the time) to which Red wolf down without complaint, though Elsa couldn't escape the feeling that she had perhaps hoped for something slightly more elaborate.

Elsa had considered picking up her line of questioning again, but eventually decided to delay it for the time being. Even if she didn't look it, there was always the chance that Red was suspicious of her. Not to mention recent events would likely leave her more on edge and less trusting.

_All things considered, she's doing strangely well. Still, there's always the possibility that it's all an act._

Though who knows? Maybe Elsa was just being paranoid. While she was almost certain that Red would break her promise to tell the whole truth to her sooner or later, nothing about Red's behaviour seemed disingenuous.

_Then again...if she's being honest, will I ever be able to trust her to begin with? That's the pressing question. There are still far too many unknowns. Too many variables. Even if she's willing, she probably doesn't have some of the answers I'm looking for. And what else will she be able to provide me besides information? It seems more and more clear she doesn't have a huge amount going for her, otherwise she wouldn't be relying on me right now. Just what was the White Hand doing with her anyway?_

The sound from the main room suddenly went quiet. Red had decided to turn on the television while Elsa documented her thoughts on her laptop in her room. There was a knocking on the door. "Uh, good night," came a soft voice from the other side.

"Oh, good night," Elsa called back. She checked the time. Just past midnight. Later than she expected. Now seemed like a good a time as any to turn in.

_Okay, just focus on your priorities for the time being._

_Number one: learn what Red knows about the White Hand and how they came to recruit her. Two: Keep on top of the police department's developments on the tech I turned in. If they track down their hiding places, I may not even have to worry about them. Three: learn anything I can about the treasures of Albernon and if they really do have any supernatural properties. There has to be some sort of research; some clue as to how they came into being._

Elsa peered at her reflection. It seemed to be more and more often that she had to press forward without any kind of real plan.

* * *

The rest of the night had passed without incident, and soon enough Elsa slipped into a dreamless sleep. Unlike the previous night, Elsa woke up to Red nestled on her sofa.

Checking to make sure that all her locks and safes were secure (she was housing a fugitive thief, after all), Elsa left the building. It was a Sunday, after all. No need to enforce a routine on her.

 _Even if she does wake up, she'll probably be too focused on trying to untangle that bird's nest on her head_. _If anything is supernatural, it's that woman's hair and it's ability to deteriorate so fast._

She had to stifle a laugh. There were still matters to attend to. She checked her phone. Seven minutes past nine. She dialled the chief's number. Weekend or not, there was no way he wasn't at his station with all the madness that was going on. It was only a few seconds before it picked up.

"Well, if it isn't the woman of the hour," the chief said from the other side. "Honestly, this isn't exactly the best time, but I needed to speak to you sooner or later." Those last few words unsettled Elsa. Like there was some seriously bad news coming.

She found a bench to sit down. "Before you begin, there's something I thought I should mention to you, sir. It's something I overheard the criminals saying regarding the heists. By the sounds of it, we won't be hearing from that thief who performed the heists ever again." Elsa shut her eyes and grit her teeth after realizing the full implications of what she just did. She had just lied to a member of the police, and a friend. It was a good thing that he couldn't see her face at that moment.

There was a brief silence on the line. "Damnit, that would have been a useful lead. But I guess that's what the White Hand realised as well. Nothing that can done." Elsa took a deep breath. Hopefully the conversation wouldn't go too far downhill from there. "Okay, Elsa. Now I have some good news, and some not so good."

_As I feared. Still, this hasn't exactly been a picnic from the start._

"Just tell me what you can, sir. I'm sure we'll think of something."

Another pause. "Uh, , let's start with the good news, shall we? First of all, we did manage to verify that the gemstones you picked up are the genuine article. We had no shortage of people willing to inspect them, and they all came to the same conclusion."

_No surprises there. At least that means no unpleasant surprises._

"Second, we got the results of those blood tests you asked for, and we found something very unusual. All of the officers seemed to have trace amounts of gold in their bloodstream. More than a person should normally have. Except for the people who on guard duty at the museum the night the Star was stolen."

The first part was strange. The second pushed it into suspicious. "Based on that information, I think we can safely say that is definitely linked to how they managed to incapacitate everyone guarding the exhibit that night."

"Everyone except you," the chief corrected. "God, they probably knew that the police would get involved and took measures against us. What I still don't understand is how injecting gold into everyone would help."

Elsa set her brain into motion. Indeed, gold alone wasn't much of a threat. Out of all the elements it stood as one of the most unreactive. Alone, it would have almost no effect at all, especially in such trace amounts.

"You're trying to figure out the solution to this aren't you," the chief suddenly chimed in. Was it really that obvious? "You need not worry, we're already running tests on the pieces of gold. We suspect that the sedative they used was contained within the gold itself. Alone, it would simply lay dormant within a person's system and pass through eventually. However, if the gold were to fall apart some time before then, whatever was contained inside would take effect in seconds." Elsa shook her head. While she had suspected something like this was the cause of the events that had taken place that night, the requirements to execute this were mind-boggling. It seemed the White Hand had profound expertise not only in electronics, but also biochemistry.

Speaking of technology. "What about the vehicle, sir?" Elsa asked. "Were you able to discover anything useful from what was inside?"

"Well, this is where the bad news begins, I'm afraid." A heavy sigh came down the line. "We managed to dismantle the electronics inside and get them in for study, but we can barely make heads or tails of making it work for us. The encryptions alone outclass military grade, and we've already lost some of the pieces to various failsafes trying to get bypass it."

_I should have expected as such. I keep forgetting how lucky I am to have even made it this far._

"So do they think there's any way through?" Elsa asked, already not looking forward to the answer.

"It's uncertain at the moment. Even if we can break through, it may take years at least. We need all the security we can get just to ensure that it isn't stolen back by them before then." Another dead end it seemed, at least for the moment.

"So what's the next step? I know you're still concerned about me, sir. I can start working on Monday, if you prefer."

No answer. Then, she heard the chief clearing his throat. "I'm afraid that's the second piece of bad news. When I reported the news, my superiors weren't exactly happy with your involvement."

Elsa's grip tightened. "You can't be serious. Do they really think this investigation would have gone better without my involvement? We both know that if I wasn't staking out the exhibit, the White Hand would have made off with the Scarlet Star and none of you would be any the wiser." She knew full well that didn't need explaining, at least not to the chief.

"I'm afraid that's the problem, Elsa. By all accounts, we had to rely on essentially an outsider to solve a crisis. Do you have any idea how that will look to the public?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. _Of course_ politics would rear its head where it wasn't wanted. "So you want me to lie to cover your tracks? To let you take the credit for the recovery of hundreds of millions worth of ancient artefacts and technology worth potentially even more? To lie for you _again_?"

"Elsa!" Roe snapped. "I don't want any of that, believe me. What _Arendelle_ wants is to end this state of emergency as quickly and as cleanly as possible. Most of the officials agree that if people believe that our police force was solely responsible for recovering the treasures and the technology, we can maintain our reputation as one of the world's most formidable police forces. That we shouldn't use any more of our resources than is necessary. There's more to this than just you and me, you know. Technically, your involvement was never officially sanctioned."

Elsa gritted her teeth. No longer content to sit down, she started pacing in front of the bench. "I- I don't believe this. You asked me to participate in this investigation as a favour to you. I know I had my own reasons, but it really sounded like you were going to lose everything unless I intervened. And now-" Elsa took a deep breath. Her hand was starting to shake. "I expect this kind of thing from the politicians, but not from you."

"Please, Elsa. Look at this logically for a moment. Unless the White Hand absolutely needs to recover their stolen technology, they're almost certainly not going to return to this city any time soon. We're already in the process of getting the gems securely transported out, so there's no nothing else worth acting upon. I know you don't like it, but the others are right. There's more important things to worry about right now."

So there it was. They were calling the whole thing off. As much as that development made her blood boil, Elsa couldn't bring herself to deny the chief's arguments. Looking back, the only reason they had made any progress at all was because their opponent had made the first move against them. Just because she was willing to wait, didn't mean everyone else was.

The whole thing still left a horrible taste in her mouth. "So where does that leave me? We're all just going to act like I did nothing and move on?"

"Ah, yes. The people in charge wanted me to _convince_ you to go along with the decision. I realise that you're probably not too interested in taking the credit for what happened, but after everything else we're not exactly leaving you with much for your efforts. While it was never stated outright, I think most of us are willing to offer you a blank cheque if you just stay silent about the whole affair."

Elsa froze. She wanted to be furious. She really did. The best solution they could come up with was to buy her off. Did they really think so little of her integrity?

_If I cared about money, I wouldn't be a cheap apartment, chasing after would-be master thieves then reluctantly aligning myself with them._

Perhaps her integrity had already been compromised. Red may have been mostly harmless, but she was still a criminal, there was no denying that. Elsa could no longer truly consider herself an honest person. A good person? That was still up for question.

As a detective, it had been her job to bring the truth to light,no matter what it might be. But who would the truth help now? The police could be discredited because of an organisation with seemingly impossible technology, and the whole city would suffer. Only her pride wanted her to step forward and be recognised for what she had done.

The only problem was that in itself was also a lie.

"I don't know how you can live with yourself," Elsa finally said, gasping. "Fine, I'll do it. For the sake of Arendelle Port City."

"Trust me, you're doing the right thing," Roe assured her. "I'll authorise a payment to you right away. And don't worry, I'll keep you updated if we have any new leads. I won't forget what you've done, not just for Arendelle, but for me too."

Elsa slapped the end call button and shoved the phone into her pocket.

 _It must be rough holding the chains of command_.

* * *

For the second time in a row, Red's sleep was brought to a sudden end. This time, it was the real world that had pulled her out of it, as a sound of a door thudding made her snap awake. Broad sunlight streamed through the windows, giving her a marginally better view of the ceiling unlike last time.

Red wasn't going to force herself up just yet. Not until she was certain that Elsa wasn't there. the last memories from the night before were still fresh, and in spite of everything, she wasn't exactly glad things had unfolded that way. Elsa barely knew her and she had seen everything. Well, perhaps not _everything_ , but far more than she was ready for.

_I've never told anyone my past before. Will I really be able to trust Elsa with it?_

There was still the lingering possibility that this was one big trap. Trying to trick her into admitting all the things she had done outside of Arendelle. They couldn't pin any of those crimes on her unless they had a confession. Something that would be easier if she wasn't already facing prison time.

_So why am I here sleeping in her home?_

In truth, there were plenty of reasons why. But most of all it was so she didn't have to steal again. This was her chance to start a new life. But did Elsa even feel the same way? Red hadn't even told yet about that part yet. Would Elsa even care about that part? She seemed more obsessed with catching the White Hand than anything else.

_Should I just tell her? Maybe I'm worrying too much._

It probably wouldn't help to just lay here all day, warm and comfy as it was. After a few seconds of waiting she finally got up and slipped back into her same black clothing. It had gotten quite cold following the night before, but they were the only things Red still had left. That and her silver locket.

_I should really throw the damn thing away. On second thought, I'd like to throw these clothes away too. I can't. Not yet._

Red wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't leave the place or go into Elsa's room. What else was there? There probably wasn't anything worth watching on TV at this hour, and looking around, that was probably the most interesting thing in the whole room.

After a few minutes of channel surfing, Elsa finally came out of her room. "Good morning. Sleep well?" she asked plucked the woolen blanket Red had left rather messily to one side and began folding it.

"Uh, yeah. It was okay. Sorry about what you kinda 'saw' last night. I swear I didn't mean to."

Elsa returned a faint smile. "It's quite alright. I probably should have warned you I was coming in beforehand. Your current situation doesn't afford you a huge amount of privacy."

Red took in a deep breath. That was a relief. Now to see if that wasn't the only one she got today. "Sooo. What am I going to be doing today? In this room. All day."

"You can give it a rest, you know." Red frowned. Was it that obvious? It didn't matter. No matter how cold or dark it was out there, this was even worse in its own way. "I've already gotten word. The police are calling off their investigation. There's no need for you to hide quite so much."

"But Elll- wait, what?" Even to her, that sounded far too simple. "That doesn't make sense. How can they be giving up so easily?"

"It's a long story," Elsa said with a sigh. "Basically, they want to end the high alert before anyone gets suspicious or panics. They don't seem to believe you or your former employers are still within the city."

That _still_ didn't quite sound right. This was Arendelle, one of the most secure cities in the world. _Give up_ shouldn't have even been an option. "And what about you, Elsa? Are you just going to give up chasing them?"

She shook her head in response. "Of course not. I've come too far for that. But let's talk about you for a second here." Elsa got up to her feet, and Red suddenly held her breath, "It's not too late, you know. You can still walk away from this. I know what the White Hand did to you, but this is extremely dangerous. If you want to get out of the city, I won't stop you."

Well, that was a no-brainer. The most obvious fact was that Red knew she had nowhere _to_ go. No people waiting for her. No home for her to hide out in. No life to escape to. Elsa was probably the only person in the world who would let Red into her home knowing what she did about her. The only problem was, how long would Elsa be alright with this?

Red got up to face Elsa. "I made a deal with you, and I want to help you, Elsa. I know a thing or two about danger, and if we aren't going to take down the White Hand, then who is? Also-" Red looked away. Now for the tricky bit. "I know how this must sound, but I want to start again. I can't live alone, and every time I work with others to do, well, what I do? It always ends badly. I thought- I thought if I managed that last job I wouldn't have to any more. But, well, you know how that turned out."

Red gripped her arms, still looking away. When she finally found the courage to face Elsa, Red was met with a reassuring smile. "I understand. You want to stop running away and change your life. For the better."

"Well, I wouldn't have put it quite like that, but-" she was trying to find the words, only to be lost in Elsa's face.

_Gah, I can't think with you looking at me like that. No, you can do this._

"It won't be easy, you know," Elsa cut in. "You don't have any money or clothes. I suspect you don't have much in the way of an education, either."

Red huffed. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me."

When she looked back however, Elsa was offering a hand. "So why don't we start fixing that?"

* * *

The next few hours were one of the best possible ends to curfew that Red could have hoped for: a round of shopping. Elsa had insisted that Red get all the things she would need for the immediate future, but she never seemed to worry too much about money. The bill ran up from tens, then hundreds of euros, but never once was did Elsa try and stop her. Strangely, that only made Red less inclined to take advantage of the generosity she never even expected.

Once they had rounded off the list Elsa had made, they stopped by a coffee shop, mainly to put some time before the trip back. Red ordered a latte and a tea for Elsa and the took a table facing each other.

"Are you sure you're okay with carrying that much stuff? I can take more, it's no problem," offered Red.

Elsa shook her head, taking her drink. "I'm not making you carry all of this, and that's final. Regardless of how strong you are, you only have two hands." There certainly were a fair few bags scattered around them. "Are you happy with what you got?"

"Well- uh, yeah, but, where are we going to put all this? I can't go in your room, and I'm not sure there's anywhere else." Red stopped stirring her latte.

_Wow, I'm not usually this forward thinking. Maybe she's starting to rub off on me._

Elsa didn't even look up "Don't worry about it. If I rearrange my own clothes a bit I'm sure I can spare a some furniture for you to use."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Red sat down and took a sip of her latte. "So why are you getting me all this stuff? I don't care what you say, it can't have been cheap for you."

"I told you not to worry about the money. But if it puts you at ease, I got this money from my part in the official investigation. We're not going to starve for this, don't worry," Elsa explained.

_Does anything phase her?_

"You really didn't have to, you know," Red said for probably the fifteenth time that day.

"You didn't have an trouble taking things that didn't belong to you. Why is this so much harder to understand?"

Red suddenly frowned, quickly looking around her. "Not too loud, okay? Someone will hear you."

Elsa sighed. "No one's going to hear you here. And even if they did, nobody's going to pay this conversation much mind. Is something wrong?"

Just like that, Red couldn't stand to face Elsa. "Well, it's just, you know, I don't think anyone's ever done anything like this before. For me, anyway."

Elsa's suddenly perked up. "Oh? I'm guessing you had a troubled childhood."

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it." Red took a deep breath. It was finally time. "Right from the start, I never even knew my parents. I don't even know what happened. They were just - gone. So the first thing I remember was some orphanage. I really didn't like it there. No, I _hated_ it there."

Elsa kept her eyes on Red constantly, until Red stopped. "I'm sorry to hear that. Please, continue."

"Honestly, the less I remember about that place, the better. All I really remember was that no one cared. The other kids didn't care what belonged to you, or how you felt. It turns out the adults weren't all the different. I mean sure, they gave us food and made sure we went to school, but that was about it really. I couldn't wait to get out of there." Red realised her fists were clenched. "Well, that happened sooner than I expected. I kind of started taking things. I figured if no one else cared about what we did, why should I? Then I started doing it outside of my home. Well, it didn't take long before I get caught. Turns out, they did care about one thing: how we made them look."

Elsa took notice and extended a hand. "Are you alright? You seem rather agitated."

Red took a deep breath. Elsa was right "I'm sorry, I don't normally like thinking about this. Anyway, the boss of the orphanage, some old bat, started shouting my ear off about how _disgraceful_ I was, and how _unacceptable_ my behaviour was. You know what I did? I shouted back even louder. I told her the only reason that I was there was that I got caught. That I hated the rules that only seemed to hurt me. She told me if I didn't like their rules, I should leave."

"So you left," Elsa replied without missing a beat.

"What, how did you- oh, right. Yeah, I walked out pretty much the day after. I was only twelve at the time. I know it was a stupid thing to do, but I just couldn't take being cooped up in there any longer." Red picked up her latte and downed the rest of it in one gulp. "I don't want to talk about this any more."

Elsa sighed. "I understand. I can imagine you're not proud of what you did, but that was very brave of you. I don't think I could have done what you did."

"Well of course not. You wouldn't have ever got into trouble to begin with. Not me. Can I really start again? Put all that behind me?"

Elsa suddenly locked eyes with her. "I can't answer that for you. I'm giving you a chance. It's up to you to you how you use it. You may have made some bad choices in the past, but that doesn't make you a bad person."

"Yeah, I guess you're we head back now?" Red was starting to feel uncomfortable, and she didn't fully understand why.

 _She believes in me more than I do_.

"I suppose we're done here, yes. There's one more place I'd like to visit before the day is out."

* * *

And so the two exited the mall and called a taxi. Elsa's mind was abuzz throughout the entire ride back. After the call in the morning, she was certain that her investigation would stick fast, but now it seemed to be moving faster than she ever anticipated. She still had two more leads to follow, and the one sitting right next to her was less likely to lead straight into a dead end. Elsa still had doubts that the White Hand had left Red with any sensitive information, much less confidential. But she was convinced that there would be something essential about Red's experiences that would help her search for the answers she needed.

_They chose her for a must have. I need more pieces._

Not a few minutes after they had returned, Elsa was already up and about in her trenchcoat. "Come on, there's something I'd like to show you."

"Oh come on, Elsa. We only just got back. Can't I at least catch my breath, see which outfits work best?" Red was trying on a dark green coat, complete with a fur-lined hood.

Elsa stepped forward, reaching out and pulling off the label still attached to the coat. "There's going to be plenty of time for that later. I promise you this will be worth it."

Soon enough they were off again, as the sun set and the city was engulfed in darkness, only to be lit up again moments later. The took the metro, this time stopping at the north end of the city. The place Elsa had in mind was only a short distance away from the station.

"Here we are." Elsa motioned to a building at the end of the road, which appeared to have cables leading out into the mountains.

"Where is here?" Red asked, tapping her foot.

"You'll see." Elsa lead on through the glass double doors into the building. Beyond a small barrier was a white cable car.

"Wait, we're going up the mountain? What for?" Red looked around. There didn't seem to be a single soul elsewhere in the building.

Elsa was already ordering a pair of tickets from a nearby machine. "Don't worry, you'll see when we get there.

Ten minutes later, the automatic doors on the cable car shut, and it set off up into the dark, snowy mountains. There was very little visibility without the aid of natural sunlight, and there wasn't much to see besides the supports for the cable and a number of trees. Elsa was surprised that Red had managed to stay silent for the whole journey.

 _Don't worry, this will be worth it. For both of us_.

When they reached the top, the area around was even darker, save for the light coming out of the station. Elsa took the lead again, taking them to a wooden bench just outside the top station. As they sat down, she pointed up to the sky."Now tell me, what do you think?"

It took Red a few seconds to take in a the view, something truly special about this spot. Away from the intense light of the city the night sky was much clearer, giving a glorious view of the stars. "Amazing," Red muttered.

Elsa gave her a soft smile. "I'm glad you appreciate it. I used to come here all the time whenever I wanted to clear my head. That, or just be alone." The latter had more often been the case in more recent times.

Red suddenly sidled up a little closer than Elsa liked. "So, you ever take anything else up here to your special place?"

_What, why would she-_

"No, I, well, maybe. " Elsa shook her head. "Look, it's not important, okay? I just brought you here because I thought you'd like it."

Red pouted. "Alright, alright. Jeez."

_Damnit, It's all going haywire. Why did she have to ask about that? It's alright, I just need to improvise._

"I'm sorry. It's just that there are some parts of my past that I'm not proud of either. Please, don't take it personally." Red didn't even turn to face her, to Elsa's annoyance. "You know, I never knew my mother either. I know- I know it's not as bad as having no parents at all, but the way my father always spoke about her, it always makes me wonder."

Elsa noticed Red looking at Elsa out of the corner of her eye when she thought Elsa wasn't looking. "It was because of him I aspired to be a detective. He told me these amazing stories of the criminals he'd track down, how valuable the truth was, and how it would always win out in the end. So I studied night and day until I got my degree in Criminology, and I made my way out here, to one of the greatest police forces in the world."

Red faced Elsa, arms folded. "Huh. You're right, that's not as bad as I had it. But thanks for telling me that." She blushed just a bit. "And thanks- thanks for believing in me, Elsa."

"It's up to you to prove me right. Don't forget that," Elsa reminded her. Red smiled and nodded.

 _Maybe this won't be so bad. It's not every day a detective gets to prevent a crime_.

"Brrr, it's so cold. Can we go back now?" Red asked. Elsa took a look, and saw her face starting to go blue.

"Of course. Here, take this." Elsa wrapped her own coat around her, providing Red with an extra layer. "I'm sorry, I forgot what it can be like up here."

"Thanks, but won't you get cold?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." For once, she wasn't lying about that. Elsa didn't feel cold. Not even slightly.

* * *

The office was, for a lack of a better word, precise.

There were no windows of any sort. In their place were a handful of monitors mounted on pristine white walls, all four corners of them white and without a speck of dust and dirt.

The only furniture was a sleek white desk and a filing cabinet in the corner. A potted plant in the corner provided the glaring contrast in the room, followed by a knock from the grey entrance doors.

"Enter." said Hans, still facing the numerous monitors that surrounded him.

The grey door at the front slid open.

"Sir, I'm afraid it's bad news," Rex announced. "We scoured the shrine. There's no sign of the vehicle or our men anywhere."

"And yet our sensors last tracked the vehicle heading back to Arendelle," Hans mused. "This can only lead to one conclusion. The ritual didn't go as planned, and that detective woman escaped."

"What? So our men are dead? You said you had everything precisely calculated," Rex said, glaring at his employer.

"Please, remain calm." Removing himself from his chair (Rex thought it bore more resemblance to that of a throne), Hans started to pace the room. "They all knew the risks when they agreed to this. Clearly this detective is a much larger factor than we originally anticipated. We have a file on her, correct?"

Rex nodded. "Well, yes, of course. Do you have a plan, sir?"

Hans stopped."You should know I _always_ have a plan. But now is not the time. Once we're certain things are clear, I'd say we go pay her a visit."

"What for? You remember what happened when you talked to her the last time. I doubt she's going to change her mind about helping us."

Hans shot a wicked smile at him. "Who said we would be asking?"


	8. Bad Faith

**Chapter 8: Bad Faith**

 

November finally crossed into December. The days grew ever shorter and the air ever colder. Curiously though, the first snowfall still hadn’t arrived.

 

The weather was barely an afterthought for Elsa, who continued to spend every free moment she could pursuing every Avenue available to her. For sanity’s sake, Elsa had to consider working up to asking Red more questions about her past as progress, otherwise it would appear as though she was going nowhere.

 

Elsa threw herself back on her chair, having hit yet another dead end. There didn’t seem to be a single clue out there as to the true nature of the treasures of Albernon. It wasn’t hard to find volumes of texts written by physicists, chemists, historians and all manner of academics discussing observations and possibilities regarding the nature of the gems and how they came to be. In the end, they all had the exact same problem: none of them held answers she was looking for. Most of the definite observations were rudimentary facts Elsa could have figured out on her own. None of them gave any of the answers she wanted so badly. With what she saw, Elsa might have known more about this than anyone else in the world.

 

Except, perhaps, for the White Hand. It was their plan to call on some kind of possibly supernatural being, only for all the participants to be pulled to their almost certain doom. The one who spoke to her in that warehouse was not among them. Had he known there was a chance the ritual would fail and kill the participants? Or more specifically, everyone except her? It wasn’t as though she could go and ask.

 

The only other possibility was to try and visit the site of the ritual itself and search for clues. However, remembering the way back was nigh impossible. Not only was it nestled in the mountains, it was extremely dark when she was there, and all Elsa wanted to do at the time was get as far away as possible. The chance she could simply trek aimlessly through the mountains and find the location was close to nil. Elsa drummed the desk with her fingers. Her job had relied on her believing in the impossible in the past, but this occasion was truly exceptional.

 

Elsa heard the front door opening, along with heavily rustling.

 

“I’m back!” Red called out from the other room. Elsa gave a relieved sigh. That was probably the one consolation of the past week. Red promised that if she was going to live there, she wasn’t going to be dead weight. Elsa quietly wondered how long the ex-thief would be able to keep her promise, but so far Elsa’s life was that much easier for it. She peeled herself from her cheap desk chair and opened the door.

 

“Need a hand?” Elsa asked, as Red struggled to get the set of bags on the kitchen top.

 

“Nope, I’m good.” Red hoisted the last bag up. “Sorry I took so long, it wasn’t easy to find everything on the list. You’d think Earl Grey would be easier to find.”

 

“I was starting to wonder if you were coming back at all,” Elsa replied, who in truth was far too involved in her fruitless research to even keep track of time.

 

“Oh come on, Elsa!” Red took a couple of steps closer, frowning slightly. “Don’t you trust me yet?

 

Elsa sighed. “I’m sorry, but it’s going to take longer than a week for more to trust you completely. Have I not put enough faith in you already?”

 

Red bit her lip. “Yeah, I guess. Sorry. It’s just- do you trust me or not?”

 

Elsa shook her head. “I can’t be certain just yet. Your history is against you for the most part, and your intentions can only count for so much.” She looked away briefly. Was she coming across as too cold. “Look, don’t take it too personally. I’m still not making much progress.”

 

Red suddenly perked up. “You know what I think? You’re working too hard. You need to get out of here, cut loose a little. What do you say?”

 

“What I need is a new lead. I can’t let the trail go cold again. Not after I’ve come this far.” Red didn’t say anything. It was clear now that Elsa had no choice but to put her foot down. They couldn’t avoid the issue forever. “Do you want to help me crack this case or not?”

 

Red couldn’t seem to face her for a moment or two. “Well, yeah, but- it’s just you’ve barely left your room in days. Is this really so important that you can’t do anything else at all?”

 

Elsa fumed. “Important? I wouldn’t have spent the last two years chasing every lead I could find on this if it wasn’t essential. You’re the one who isn’t giving this the respect it deserves. I thought you of all people would know the threat these people pose.”

 

Red returned her glare briefly, before huffing and turning to one of the bags. “Fine. Forget I said anything.”

 

Elsa quietly sighed. Perhaps she was being a bit unfair. She was spending more and more time in front of her screen than ever before. She hadn’t looked in the mirror today, but she suspected than she would not like what she saw. Elsa could rant all she liked about how long she had been on this, but she could hardly make Red understand the reality of it.

 

Perhaps a compromise was in order. Something that at the very least would get things moving forward. “Fine. We can do _one_ thing today. Then I want to hear some more about you. Deal?” Before she could wonder if such a concession was a good idea, Red had already jumped Elsa and landed her arms around her.

 

“Oh, thank you, Elsa! Don’t worry, I promise you won’t regret this.”

 

_That remains to be seen._

 

Elsa lifted her arms. “Alright, alright. Could you _please_ let go of me now?” Apparently, she needed a couple of additional seconds. “Well, if we are going through with this, where do you want to go?”

 

“Oh, I don’t mind. As long as we’re out together for a while.” Elsa pinched her nose. That was pretty much the exact answer she was hoping not to get. If Red was going to suggest something like this, wouldn’t it make more sense for her to put just a little bit of forethought into it first? This was the same woman who had executed a series of high values heists, wasn’t it?

 

“Well, we could just take a walk like the last time, see where it leads us.” Not exactly the most creative of suggestions, and it certainly showed on Red’s face. But this not Elsa’s area of expertise by any means.

 

“Come on, Elsa. There’s got to be a _little_ imagination in that head of yours. Besides, have you noticed how cold it is now? I’m not spending any longer outside than I have to.” It was the most peculiar thing. Elsa had barely noticed the cold, if at all. Sure, she hadn’t gone outside that many times in the past week, but the weather wasn’t exactly on the forefront of her mind.

 

Still, if Red didn’t want to stay outside too long, it wouldn’t be right to force the issue. Elsa still had no idea what she might want to do instead. How long since she last “went out”? Let alone with company? Those were questions Elsa preferred not to answer. “Well, I suppose we could go get coffee.” Red gently shook her head. They’d technically done that already. “Or, we could just get something to eat instead, then.”

 

“Great, where do you want to go?” Red asked.

 

Elsa stalled. The past two years of almost constant focus on her work and a mostly shoestring budget had left her rather unfamiliar with the restaurant scene. Wasn’t there anything else? “Well, that was just an idea. We could-, well we could always-” She was already out of ideas. Though it certainly didn’t help that anything outdoors was effectively off limits. “Well, we could always go see a movie, if there’s nothing else.” How utterly cliché. Would Red even consider such a thing?

  


Yes. Yes she would. It seemed that this was far easier than she expected. Though at the same time it was also far more time-consuming. She had spent most of the day in front of a screen, and now she was going to sit  in front of a much larger one. Well, as long it would advance the investigation.

 

Not an hour after Elsa offhandedly mentioned the idea, they arrived at the box office and were standing in line. After a brief debate, they managed to agree to see “Trial of the Dragon,” some sort of martial arts film with a reasonable amount of critical acclaim. By all accounts, the reviews were true. Elsa couldn’t fault the pacing or the story, and the choreography was impressive. What was more surprising to her was how adamantly Red insisted on radio silence the moment they entered. Apparently the laws of possession were at most an inconvenience until recently, and yet theatre etiquette was sacrosanct. If Red wanted to demonstrated she was starting over, this was perhaps a bit much.

 

Not wanting to remain outside, the pair found their way into a shopping center, settling on a bench in the middle of the walkway. It was louder than Elsa might have liked, with a few people getting their Christmas shopping done, but not so loud that they couldn’t hold a conversation.

 

For a moment, they sat there in an awkward silence. Finally, Elsa spoke. “So.”

 

“So,” Red shot back, completely deadpan. For a moment, the silence resumed. Then Red’s face suddenly lit up. “Wasn’t that amazing? I mean, I’ve seen all of Hui Leng’s movie’s, but that’s gotta be the third- no, maybe second?” She counted on her fingers. “Oh who am I kidding, that was the _best_ one. Those kicks were so fast, I couldn’t even see them. Okay okay, what was your favourite part?”

 

Elsa let out a heavy sigh. Well, if nothing else she was learning more about her compatriot than she had in the past week. Might as well humour her. “Well, I suppose the climax would be the most exciting. I was impressed with the way that he managed to deconstruct the motives of his nemesis before the fight started. Mr Oda was so unflappable before that point.”

 

“Oh.” Red blushed slightly. “I liked the part where he punched him in the face more, myself. Though what you said was a lot better.”

 

Elsa gave a thoughtful look. “Don’t let your reasons for enjoying it feel any less valid than mine. As long as you took something away from the experience. Personally, I found the inner struggle of the protagonist more interesting.” Red gave her a confused look. “I couldn’t help but notice that Hui Leng was fighting more out of a sense of personal obligation than any genuine desire.”

 

“But, but he kept saying that he was honoring his family,” Red responded, now looking away.

 

“Why would he need to say that so many times? I believe he was telling himself that more than he was telling anybody else. He didn’t have much to really gain from his struggle.”

 

“Wait, how did you-” Red suddenly elbowed Elsa, getting a scowl for a trouble. “Ohhhh, this is your detective’s eye thing kicking in. Do you _ever_ switch off?”

 

That question cut deeper than Elsa might have first thought. She had never once doubted the path she was taking, but was that really such a good thing? She-

 

Elsa suddenly cocked her head. There was movement from the corner of her eye. Was someone watching her and Red? “Hey, is everything okay?” Red asked.

 

Was it? Of course, now the suspicious area gained her full attention, there was nothing suspicious to be found. One part of her told her it was nothing and she should let the thing go. Her detective instinct wouldn’t let it be that simple. Following up on it though would probably yield her very little. “No, it’s nothing. Now, let’s get back to business.” Elsa whipped out a notebook and pulled it to the page that was bookmarked. “Would you like to tell me some more about your history?”

 

“What, already? I was enjoying our little chat.” Elsa needed but a hint of a glare to get Red to concede. “Alright, alright. Okay, so I never knew any real parents, so I had to grow up in-”

 

“You’ve already talked about that,” Elsa cut in, reviewing the notes she had.

 

“Oh, I did?” Red suddenly looked up towards the glass ceiling, trying her hardest to feign ignorance. “So where _did_ I leave off the last time?”

 

“You seemed to have more and more trouble with authority, so you decided to leave your home. Permanently.” Elsa half-recited, now at the end of what she had written.

 

“Right, right. That part. I’m not exactly proud of that, you know. It’s so stupid, but the place felt like a prison. Like everyone else was pummeling me, while the adults held me down and made it easy for them. I decided that there really was no reason for me to stay there any longer.” She gave shadow of a scowl. “Of course, I only felt clever for about a day.”

 

Elsa jotted down what she heard, before adding a couple of notes of her own. She never understood the rebelliousness of youth. She had spent most of her formative years in front of a book or gaining experience at the police station. It sounded like Red took a few trips of her own as well, albeit for entirely different reasons. “I’m guessing you didn’t have any kind of real plan. How old were you, anyway?”

 

Red shrugged. “I don’t remember. Thirteen, fourteen? But yeah, I didn’t really have much of a plan. I just thought I’d do what I had always done. Wait until nobody was looking, then take what they didn’t really need.” Red let out a long sigh. Elsa simply continued writing, before giving Red her usual, inscrutable expression. “It was rough. Like, really rough. I’m sure I spent more nights in the cold than not. I got shouted at and roughed up more times than I remember. But I survived. Sometimes I took what I thought people wouldn't miss. Out of their pockets, on the shelves, anything that wasn’t nailed down. Other times I’d take whatever I could. You probably think I’m pretty terrible, right?”

 

Elsa abruptly halted her pen. “I think you were rash. Reckless, even. But never terrible. You were probably at the point where you couldn’t go back to your old home, even if you wanted. I can’t say I know what it’s like to have to choose between crime, or going cold and hungry. I do know what it’s like to feel alone.” Elsa looked upwards. “As though everyone claims to care, but never enough to actually do anything.” Where did that come from? Elsa had barely even thought the words as they came out, and yet now they might put Red’s might at ease, if even a little

 

Sure enough, Red cracked a smile. “Well, I wasn’t alone forever. There was someone else. Someone like me. Hell, she was trying to steal from _me_ of all people. No way was I going to let that happen. Or I thought so, anyway. Punched the air right out of me, she did.” Red clutched her stomach. “I think it was then that she realised she was robbing the only girl around more desperate than she was. So, she told me she was sorry, even though it _really_ didn’t sound like it, and one thing lead to another and we kinda started working together.”

 

Elsa froze. Now where had that happened before? “So, could you describe this- _other_ girl for me?”

 

“Amber,” Red cut in. “That was her name. Oh, where do I start? She was the kinda girl you just _had_ to look at. Wild, blonde hair, totally ripped, and she didn’t give a damn what anyone thought of her. Well, except me.” Another sigh, though Elsa detected a hint of longing on this one. “Turns out, her appearance came in quite handy. Wherever she went, she was sure to cause a scene. And a scene was just something I could use quite well. Once I’d taken anything that I could in the excitement, she’d back off and we’d split whatever I could grab. It was great.”

 

“ _Was_?” Elsa picked up on that one word in particular. Clearly something had happened to sour the relationship. Perhaps, the White Hand?

 

Red sighed, shaking her head. “Well yeah. Amber and I had a good thing going. Sure, we were forced to move around every so often, but most nights we weren’t cold, or starving. Given how my first few weeks were, that was a big deal. It soon became clear that this wasn’t enough for her. Amber wanted to do more than simple mark and grabs.” Red suddenly scowled. “I told her, things were fine just the way they were, but she wouldn’t have any of it. She said we should get more people, plan bigger jobs, make bigger heists. It felt like she thought the world owed us. In a way, I understood, but I couldn’t bring myself to hurt people, or take things people needed.”

 

Elsa stopped writing for split second. This was strange. There were some pieces that fit Red working with the White Hand, and others that didn’t. Red seemed unambitious in her crime, which would make treasures like the Scarlet Star seem insane. Except, it seemed more pacifistic than anything else. Red’s primary concern appeared to be avoiding taking something if it meant someone else would suffer instead. “So I take it you were unable to resolve this difference in opinion.”

 

“In the end, we went our separate ways. It wasn’t long after that that _they_ came in contact with me. You know.” Red bit her lip.

 

Elsa nodded. That was one thing at least they seemed to be on the same page on. “And you accepted their offer right away?”

 

“Hey!” Red snapped. Elsa jumped. Perhaps that wasn’t the best way to phrase that question. “Look, I was kind of on my last leg at the time, okay? It seemed too good to be true even if they did help me out of a tough spot. And it’s not like they just let me go on those heists, okay? I had to take all these physicals, practice runs, learn about all their _crazy_ tech. Apparently they chose me out of a _lot_ of applicants. Though, now that I think about it, I never did meet anyone else who was applying.”

 

Once again, some pieces were falling into place, while others all over the place. Had they simply chosen Red to the exclusion of all other possible candidates? The skills were there: light hands, team working, and the advanced technology didn’t appear to phase her much. The aptitude wasn’t lacking either. Red seemed to be a thief, through and through. Though she didn’t seem to feel much guilt taking what wasn’t hers, she objected to causing meaningful harm to others. Perhaps Elsa was overthinking it. She was expecting something- exceptional. Perhaps there simply wasn’t anything. Why was that so hard for her to accept?

 

“Elsa, is something wrong?” Red seemed to catch Elsa lost in thought again. This was so much easier when it was just her. Now she couldn’t analyse anything without a quizzical look pointed her way.

 

“Nothing important. So I take it once you were _selected_ , so to speak, you were tasked with obtaining all ten of the treasures?” She was interested in hearing the stories behind each heist, but Elsa fully expected Red to start holding out on her again at any moment.

 

“Well, it wasn’t just me. We had a few other people show up to plan the heist, find blueprints, peel away the layers of security. But yeah, it was always me who actually went in there and made the grab. Then we laid low, and moved on when we were ready.” Red shook her head. “It was actually kind of fun, now that I think about it. I was kind of sad to think it would end after a while. Though, for different reasons.”

 

“Yes, of course.” Elsa still never actually told Red what the White Hand told her they intended to do. Then again, she wasn’t entirely sure what it was herself. Perhaps that was the worst part. Every attempt to fathom what happened that night raised more questions than it answered.

 

“You know, there’s something that’s been bugging me.” Red suddenly asked. Elsa quietly sighed. Somehow, she didn’t think this was some profound observation that she somehow missed. Those weren’t known to come about very often. Nonetheless, Elsa nodded, giving her silent approval. “It’s just, you never told me why you’re so obsessed with this. You only seem to care about catching these people. I think I deserve to know why.”

 

Elsa very slowly flipped her notebook shut. “Who says I’m obsessed? I’m doing this because it’s important. Because it needs to be done.”

 

Red gave Elsa a glare of poison she didn’t think the young woman to be capable. “Look, Elsa. I’m not some genius super-detective like you. And yes, I was tricked by them. I’m not stupid, though. And I’m not blind, either. So far, all the White Hand has done is steal things. The police decided this isn’t worth investigating, but you spend all day locked in your room trying to figure this out. The fact that we’re here now means that you haven’t found anything else to help you move forward.  Is it really so hard for you to just tell me what’s going on?”

 

Elsa groaned. Where to even start? “While I do not doubt you have some level of intelligence, the fact remains that you couldn’t possibly function in normal society without resorting to crime. Do not forget, you still have a place to call home because of me.”

 

Red recoiled. Perhaps that was a bit much. “Because you need me, remember?”

 

“I _might_ need you,” Elsa corrected. “While it’s true that you’re linked to my case, you’ve yet to give me any shred of decisive information. To answer your claim that the White Hand doesn’t appear dangerous, that in itself is extremely suspicious. Somehow, they’ve come into technology that goes far beyond what’s conventionally available, and all they’ve done is steal some gemstones. If they wanted to profit, why not clean out the exhibits. Why not steal more liquid assets, or even national secrets? They must have some kind of end game, embedded in their actions somewhere. That’s why I’m spending so long on this. I have to find out what their plan is, before they carry it out.” An almost inevitable silence followed, as neither of them could bear to look at each other. Elsa shouldn’t have raised her voice, she knew that. At the same time, Red couldn’t know. Not yet. She just couldn’t be trusted.

 

“Should- should we go now?” Red finally offered.

 

Elsa nodded. “Perhaps that would be best.” A shame, it had started out as a fairly pleasant outing.

  


As the next few days passed, they returned to their usual selves, though things felt much icier than before. At least before, Elsa gave Red a “thank you” when she finished some task for her, even if it was rather half-hearted. Now, Red had barely so much as a single word out of her since their little interview went sour.

 

What did she done wrong? She was interested in Elsa’s interest, that was all. Red of all people, knew that you wouldn’t make it as a thief without a keen awareness, and she could tell that Elsa’s reasons must be personal. There was no other way that she would get so angry when Red brought it up.

 

All she needed to do was find out. How, though? Elsa’s lips were sealed. No matter how long she waited, she knew trying to bring it up again would end the same way. Then, there were those rather nasty things Elsa said about her. Why would she say those things? While there was a certain amount of truth to it, it felt though it was said to be hurtful. Besides, she was _trying_ to change for the better. She had been a thief all her life. That didn’t go away in just a couple of weeks.

 

It wasn’t like Elsa to snap at her like that. At any other time Red had known her, Elsa was a true detective, staying calm and thoughtful. The moment Red tried to play a more active role in the investigation, that all changed. It was as though Elsa was suddenly out to discredit her. She would just have to prove that she was up to the task of helping Elsa out. First, she would need to figure out why Elsa was so obsessed with this case.

 

There was only one problem. The only way to do that would be to break her agreement with Elsa. To break the one golden rule. Red would have to sneak into Elsa’s room. It would be a dicey plan, as Red wasn’t sure what to expect. She only went inside one time, and it had been too dark to make out more than basic shapes. Since then, Elsa never allowed her inside, even when she was around. That _must_ have meant she was hiding something.

 

The chance to carry out her plan came a lot sooner than she expected. Four days after their rather ill-fated conversation, Red thought she would try her hand at cleaning the bathroom. If anything made it clear why she was so averse to honest work, it was this. There must have been a thousand little nooks and crannies in that one-person bathroom, and in each of them was some kind of muck built up into it.

 

Just as Red thought she reached a turning point, there was a loud buzz, and everything went dark. The lights went out. She could still hear whirring from the kitchen, so it wasn’t a power problem. More likely the lights had blown. As Red searched for replacements, Elsa came out, apparently to investigate.

 

“Don’t worry, this has happened before. Not sure we have any spares left, though.” Red quietly gave a sigh of relief. That wasn’t exactly what she was hoping Elsa would break the silence with, but it was good to hear her back to her usual self, in a manner of speaking.

 

Red rummaged through the back of the cupboard, but there were only a few small bulbs there, nothing up to the task. “Doesn’t look like it. I can run to the store now, if you like.” There was perhaps half an hour of daylight left, and any excuse to delay her cleaning would be nice.

 

“No, I’ll do it this time,” Elsa replied.

 

Red shuffled uncomfortably. For just a moment, she glanced at the door to Elsa’s room. “Are you sure? You still have work to do. I can find the right sizes, no problem.”

 

Elsa waved a hand. “It’s fine, I need some air, anyway. You can hold things down here, right?”

 

First, there was a flash of annoyance in Red, then a plan. _This_ was her chance. “Yeah, sure. I can’t really get much done without the lights.”

 

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask the impossible of you.” Red was confused. That almost sounded- friendly? Before she could conjure any kind of reply however, Elsa was already walking through the door. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

 

Even though she knew she didn’t have much time, Red just stood there, nerves fraying. This was her perfect chance. She’d made the offer in earnest, but the way things turned out couldn’t be better. Elsa would have no reason to suspect she wanted to be alone. She could be in an out before Elsa even reached the store. That said, there was no real plan. One mistake could ruin everything.

 

No. She pressed on. She needed to show Elsa. Show she was more than just a criminal turned witness, even if she wasn’t an Elsa’s level. She put on a pair of gloves and found a small flashlight. With that, she edged closer to the door.

 

The door offered no resistance to being opened, as it only locked from the inside. Red edged the door open inch by inch, slipping through once there was enough room. So far, so good. She left the door ajar, no point in closing it now. Light on. She scanned around. What was she looking for? Something personal. Some clue to her past. Red saw the laptop. No, probably password protected. Way too easy to leave something that gave her actions away. Elsa managed to power through a memory wiping drug, she’d probably notice if the cursor moved since she left it.

 

There weren’t a lot of other options. Double bed, dresser, closet, nothing jumped out. The desk was focused entirely on work. There. Bedside table. Had to be something. One way to find out. Red crept closer. Her nerves tingled. If she left anything out of place, she’d be screwed. If she left anything behind, she’d be screwed. If Elsa came back early for any reason, _she’d be screwed_.

 

Red took a deep breath. It was never like this during the heists. Then, there was a clear plan, and an arsenal of gadgets for if anything went wrong. Here, there was neither. Heck, she didn’t even have a clear target. Even so, she pressed on. Elsa wouldn’t give up at this point.

 

Top drawer. Mostly paperwork. Client files. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Nothing about her time as a police detective. No good.

 

Second drawer. This was more promising. There were some more personal effects. Some barely used make-up. Some jewelery, surprisingly expensive looking. Why was this even here? The Elsa Red knew was almost all function, no form. Maybe it wasn’t always like that. The thing was even more shocking. A photograph. It was Elsa, standing next to a young man, probably about the same age, with neat blonde hair and a small yet firm build. Elsa had the closest thing to a real smile Red ever remembered.

 

Red scrambled in her head to figure this out. Who was this man. Elsa never mentioned any siblings when talking about her early life. Red never even heard about anything the time after Elsa’s career started. Could this man really be-? Red peeked at the back of the photo, and found what she needed, but didn’t _want_ to know. A message.

 

“ _Elsa, thanks for the mountain trip. Let me know if anything else needs cracking. XxX.”_

 

Red froze. Things started to snap into focus. So this man an Elsa were _seeing_ each other? There could be no other explanation. Since Elsa  never talked about him, it was clear something happened. Was it the White Hand? Did they do something to him? That wasn’t just a simple break up. As much as Red wanted to know more, she doubted she would find anything that might tell her anything else. She checked the bottom draw anyway.

 

She was wrong. Dead wrong. In the bottom draw was her toolkit. Her thief’s gadget belt. It was all here. Elsa chose to keep this. Why? Was she hoping to use something to help her search? Surely she must have known how risky that would be. Red put it out of her head. Elsa was nothing if not careful. Though it wasn’t like she could ask.

 

Red somehow  raised more questions than she answered. Was this was being a detective was like? No wonder even Elsa was having so much trouble. With Red feeling her luck running thin, she crept out of the room and tried to close the door. The door stuck fast, and nerves started to get the better of her. After a bit of resistance, the door finally closed. Time to sit down and act like nothing ever happened. She turned on the TV, not to watch or even to try and distract herself. Act natural. That was all she could do, now.

 

It was the best part of an hour until Elsa returned. Red tried her best to mute her reaction to her arrival.

 

_Nothing happened here. Nothing at all. Just held the fort._

 

Red said nothing as Elsa laid out what she picked up, instead choosing to get to work. Time passed, and it did seem that she was none the wiser. There was no sign that anything was wrong.  Yet, Red could not escape the pit she felt in her stomach. For once, it was not just the fear of getting caught that gave her pause. She broke her promise to Elsa. The tiny price of staying with her all this time. Besides the information she wanted. Red was fairly sure that she told Elsa basically everything anyway.

 

No one ever needed to know. That was all she need tell herself.

  


The next morning broke, with Red feeling though things were going to return back to normal. The lights were working again, Elsa would go back to focusing on her work, and she’d go back to waiting for Elsa to ask her some more questions. That was, if there were any left. However, that was far from how it played out.

 

Not long after noon, Elsa emerged from her room and sat down next to Red. The rarity alone set Red on alert.

 

She pulled something out of her pocket. “Do you know what this is?”

 

Red scrunched her face. “Uh, it’s a pencil? Or, two pieces of a pencil by the looks of it. Is this some kind of clue to the case.”

 

“To the case? Not exactly. To you? Perhaps.” Now, Red was curious. “You see, it may seem unimportant, but it plays a very important role. This was placed in the frame of the door to my room.” Red felt the pit in her stomach return at an alarming speed. “If you don’t open and close the door the correct way, the door will squeeze the pencil, which results in it breaking. Of course, anyone aware of its presence, such as myself, knows the correct way to operate the door. Anyone that does not, however, will inevitably break it. Do you see where I’m going with this?” Elsa gave Red an intense glare. “I take it by the pale shade your face is going that you do.”

 

Red was doing everything she could not to jump out the window. “Look, let’s not jump to any conclusions here.”

 

“I _never_ jump to conclusions. I’m a detective. You should know that.” Elsa calmly placed the pieces of the pencil on the table. “I may not have interacted with you much over the past few days, but almost every time I did, I saw you eyeing my door. The moment I confront you with implicating evidence, you fly into a panic. Instead of directly denying it, you try and dance around it by attacking the evidence. I don’t think anything more needs to be said.”

 

“Please, you have to understand-” Red started.

 

“Understand? I thought _you_ understood. I didn’t ask you for much. It was difficult enough trusting you knowing what you’ve done before this. You told me you were going to change. That you _wanted_ to change. Yet here you are, thinking you’re above my rules. What am I supposed to say to that?”

 

Red could think of nothing. Nothing but how stupid her whole plan was to begin with.

 

Elsa motioned towards the exit. “I want you to go. Take some money, and leave. Come back this evening when I’ve decided what we’re going to do.”

 

She didn’t need to be told twice. Red was out of there in less than a minute. She couldn't bear to walk too far away however, so she sat on a bench in view of the apartment block, cold be damned.

 

Stupid, stupid, _stupid_.

 

That was all she could think to herself. Every time her crimes worked, it was because she had a plan. A _real_ plan. One that wasn’t her own. What was she supposed to do. Let Elsa continue her mood forever? Let Elsa shut her out for the entire case? Just wait until Elsa decided Red was no longer needed and kick her out?

 

She buried her head in her hands. No matter how she tried to explain it, she really shouldn’t have done it. There must have been better ways to prove that she could be a help to the case. Now, she probably just got herself evicted a whole lot faster. All she could do is beg for Elsa’s forgiveness. That, and swear to herself that it really _was_ the last time.

 

Something caught her eye. A van that was pulling up. Something seemed off about it. She was almost certain she hadn’t seen it before, but it seemed familiar. The shade of black. How smooth the edges were. The rims. Why was she so sure she’d seen it before? The side door opened and someone came out. Several someones.

 

Red instinctively jumped behind the bench. It was Rex. She’d recognise his face anywhere. He was backed up by a couple of other men. Forget being found out by Elsa, if _they_ discovered she was here, it was over.

 

She peered through the slats. Hands shaking. Heart beating out of her chests. Breaths loud and heavy. She could run. She could so easily run. No, that would just draw attention to herself. Did they see her? If they know she was here? If they already did, there was probably no hope in her trying to evade them. _That_ thought was comforting.

 

She saw the three of them, wearing the same black get-up as ever. One of them appeared to be lugging a large case on wheels. Rex was talking to the others, but there was no way of telling what they were saying. They hadn’t once so much looked in her direction, and they simply walked past, as though it was just another day. Red took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a second. Then the three of them entered the apartment block.

 

Elsa.

 

 _Fuck_.

 

It was right there in front of her. They came here today for Elsa, not her. Red was so wrapped up in her own problems she hadn’t even realised. With what she’d seen, there was little doubt that they could force the front door open if Elsa didn’t open it herself. She had to warn Elsa. How though? She never bought a mobile phone, and they were no pay phones around, nor did she have any change to use it. There was almost no way that Elsa would hear if she shouted from where she was. Worst of all, none of that mattered because there was no way Elsa would listen to her right now.

 

All Red could do was sit behind the bench in total silence, and wait for the men to come out. She had no weapons and no real training. There was no doubt they would instantly recognise her, and do what they failed to the first time. Sure enough, the men emerged with faces of stone, heading back the way they came. They were carrying the same case as before, only this time it seemed a lot louder than before. Somehow, Red realised what it meant.

 

Elsa was in there. They had come to take her. _Alive_. That thought alone terrified her far more than what would happen to Red if she was discovered. Red couldn’t stop them. Not alone. There was nobody else around, and who would believe her anyway? If they made it back to the van, Elsa’s fate was sealed, no question. Nonetheless, Red could only watch.

  
Watch, and follow quietly behind. It looked like she couldn’t even make a promise to herself any more.


	9. Out of Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red tries to find Elsa, who's dealing with troubles of her own.

** Chapter 9: Out of Body **

 

Elsa gave a soft groan. Darkness surrounded her, and discomfort coursed through her body, centering around her head. An all too familiar discomfort. This was the morning after her watch over the exhibit all over again. Only this time it was infinitely worse. She could remember it. Every last excruciating detail. How had it all gone so wrong?

After sending Red away, Elsa tried to resume her work. Something started to nag at her as soon as she sat down, and she couldn’t understand why. This was her home, Red was clearly in the wrong for what she did. Deep down, she knew her actions perhaps were less than laudable. She would need to have a serious discussion with Red later about where they wanted to go from there. Red disappointed her certainly, but hadn’t really surprised Elsa. She would also need to ask about what Red saw when she intruded.

There was a sudden knock on the door. Elsa was certain it could only be one person. Red, probably giving some kind of tearful apology. Elsa let her guard down for that one, fleeting moment. That cost her everything. The moment she opened the door felt a sting, and everything went dark. Under any other circumstances, she would have checked. She would have asked. She would have done  _ something _ . Now she was here with the same pain in her head, only this time there was no apparently loss of memory. Which could only mean one thing: it didn’t matter at all whether she remembered or not.

The room suddenly glowed with a white, even light and the depth of Elsa’s predicament became all too apparent. The room felt futuristic from the panel lights illuminating the place. It appeared to be a small room, cubic in shape except for the corners which were smoothed out into curves. The room didn’t seem to have much besides a chair. One that Elsa was now trapped in. The chair was equipped with restraints, holding her wrists and ankles. There was no way she could slip out, and the restraints probably wouldn’t break in a hundred years. Clearly this room was prepared for her. To what end, though? An interrogation?

“Ah, you’re finally with us again,” a disembodied voice suddenly spoke out. Elsa presumed it was over some kind of intercom, but it was so clear they might as well have been in the room. “We can get started”.

Elsa knew that voice. Hans. The man apparently in charge of the White Hand. She had heard him speak not two weeks ago. Was it really that recently? She remembered it clearly enough, but it felt so much longer. “You aren’t coming to talk to me directly?” Elsa knew that any sign of emotion at this point wouldn’t help her case. Time to gauge the situation.

There was a sigh on the other end , w herever that happened to be. “To be perfectly honest, that would be a waste of time at this point. You’ve already thrown your lot against us, and it’s gotten rather tiresome.”

Elsa’s internal discomfort started to creep up on her. Her suspicions that she wasn’t stuck her for any practical reason grew ever stronger. As did her belief that she wouldn’t be leaving the room intact. “So what now? Will you coerce me to join you? Or do I require ‘reconditioning’?”

“ _ Please _ . You’re far too smart for us to trust you even under duress, and if we did anything to your mind, we’d lose all of that.” Elsa balked. This man had actually considered it. “No, this is simply dealing with a loose end. You’ve got blood on your hands, Elsa Fresia. An eye for an eye, you know?”

“I had nothing to do with the deaths of those men on that mountain!” Elsa snapped. Her anger was starting to betray her. “You should have thought whatever twisted ritual you were attempting.”

“There’s so much you don’t seem to understand. Did you think we would forget about what happened two years ago? That we wouldn’t notice you trying to tail us afterwards?” 

Could they really have been tracking her for that long, and she somehow never noticed? 

“Believe me, I wanted to believe that you wouldn’t be a problem to us ever again, but you had to go and prove me wrong.”

“Did you really believe that I would just let that go?” Elsa asked. Her brain kept telling herself that this was completely hopeless, but there her mouth was moving anyway. Maybe she realised it didn’t really matter now.

“You should have been smart enough to leave us alone. You of all people saw what we’re capable of. If only you cut your losses while you have the chance.” There was a short pause. “Now, that’s the last thing you’re going to learn in this world.” The voice apparently cut off. A silence hung in the air. Then, pain. Electricity burned it’s way through her body. It took all she had not to cry out.

* * *

 

_Okay, I’ve gone from stupid to insane in the space of an hour. Go_ _me._

Red knew full well that she didn’t have much time. If that van took off without her, Elsa was as good as gone forever. There was no way for her to tail the van. Not to mention they would almost certainly get suspicious if she tried. No, the van itself was the only option. She couldn’t possibly cling to the side, certainly not without anyone seeing. The underside was too close to the road. It seemed hopeless. In the nick of time she had notice the small sliding door at the very back. As quietly as she could manage, Red slid the door open to a small engine compartment. Just enough space to squeeze inside. Just.

For the next hour or so, Red felt a storm of emotions pass through her over the soft hum of the engines. Every minute or so, she thought of a new way this could all go horribly wrong. She had so, so little going for her. So far, her spurs of the moment only managed to make things worse. Only the thought of Elsa kept her focused. She couldn’t fail now, of all times. 

For what little it was worth, luck was on her side. For now. There was almost no light ,  every bump banged her against the sides. It was hot and stuffy, and it could get worse at any moment. Every little stop made her tense up inside. Where were they even going? Red knew she only ever seen the surface of the White Hand’s operations. Who knew what else they had going on? She was completely in the dark, in every sense of the word. 

There was no way she could tell how much time passed. Why hadn’t gotten a watch? Or a phone? Maybe Elsa didn’t trust her with those kinds of things.  _ Well, you went and proved her right. _

The thought was pushed out of her mind as the engines finally went silent. This must be it. There were seemingly distant noises of doors opening and closing. Something clattering. So much for the hope that they would leave Elsa inside the van for later. She would need some kind of plan, that was for sure. It was mostly chance that she had even gotten this far. 

Find Elsa. That was the most important thing. There was probably some kind of cell they were holding her in. Then get her out. No, she needed more than that. A whole lot more. If she was seen, by guard or by camera, that was it. She had no weapons, no real fighting ability. Find a weapon, maybe? If possible, find out exactly where Elsa was as well. The White Hand probably didn’t want any attention on this base, so she could probably get away with a bit more than normal.

With a few minutes passed, Red readied herself to get out. She’d been here more than long enough. Just as she was about to, a small light caught her attention.She managed to move her hand towards it. It was a second hatch, this one into the main vehicle. It took longer than Red would ever admit, but she managed to squeeze through, into the body of the van. There was the same array of gadgets and screens in every other vehicle, none of which she understood in the slightest. Suddenly, she cracked a smile. Her old tool kit. They must have snatched it up when they took Elsa, only they hadn’t taken it with them. She clipped it on. Even if she swore she’d never need it again, there was still a sense of comfort it brought. Safety. This thing was better than any plan she could ever think up.

Distortion, engaged. No more cameras to worry about. Decrypter, standing by. No door or password could stand in her way. Shock gun, armed. One shot and no guard would be a problem any time soon. Even the old smoke bombs were there. The White Hand always held the upper hand in terms of technology. It was time to see how well they held up against it. With a deep breath, she walked out. She might just have a chance after all.

* * *

 

Elsa reeled from that last shock, trying to steady her breath. This wasn’t about sending any kind of message. Hans and whoever else was watching just wanted some kind of sick amusement. What did they think would happen, she would beg for mercy? If she was to meet her end here, it would be a with dignity. She wouldn’t let him. She wouldn’t let him see.

“Not even a cry of pain? I’m impressed. Have you done this before?” Elsa stayed quiet. If Hans was going to goad some kind of reaction, he would have to try harder than that. “Well, this will simply take as long as it takes.”

Another jolt of electricity crackled and burned Elsa’s flesh. This one far worse. Her skin stung all over and felt as though it was on fire. Worse still, there was nothing she could do about it. As every part of her body screamed for help and went completely untended, Elsa finally felt her eyes starting to water. This truly was nightmarish. It didn’t matter, though. He could inflict all the physical pain he wanted. She wouldn’t budge. She certainly wouldn’t fall for any promises of relief. 

Again, it shocked her. Again, she felt the hot stinging. The crackling of her body. Her heart working overtime. Her skin turning red anywhere she tried to look. Through it all, the endless dread that this would only get worse from here. This was the top of the mountain all over again. Only this time with scorching heat instead of frigid cold. It was a miracle that she made it out of that alive, and now she had squandered that luck.

“That’s the highest current possible without risking cardiac failure.” Elsa instinctively knew that nothing that followed would be good. The sharp jab into her spine confirmed that. “There’s plenty more in that room to keep you entertained.” Maybe two seconds later, her head felt like it was spinning full of broken glass. “I’m sure you remember the concoction you were hit with at the exhibit. Quite a remarkable feat, by the way. One hundred percent of the subjects we tested that on experienced complete memory loss as a result.” Elsa could barely hear him at this point. Her head felt like it was splitting apart. Her heart and lungs weren’t faring much better, and her breath became more unsteady. “Had enough yet?”

Elsa definitely heard that. It was becoming more and more tempting. Despair was setting in. There was no telling how long she would stay alive, or lucid enough to notice what was happening to her. It was so easy to say she wouldn’t falter, that she would stay defiant to the very end. The pain, though. It felt unreal. People weren’t meant to suffer like this without dying. This was clearly the culmination of a man’s twisted imagination. What could she have done to deserve this? What could  _ anyone  _ have done that wasn’t criminal? 

Elsa groaned. It was tempting for sure. That said, she knew all too well that for the man on the other side, that was the best possible way to make it as painful as possible. Hope torn away would be far worse than hope never given. “No. Nice try, though.”

“Tell me, what do you think will happen? That you’ll never break? Or maybe someone will come to save you?” Elsa simply rolled her eyes. “Guess not. Suit yourself, then. If we stopped now, we’d lose valuable progress.” Elsa wouldn't scream. She swore to herself that she wouldn’t scream.

* * *

 

As Red snuck through the building, she felt more and more uncomfortable. Not just because of how risky this was, but more because of how weird this place felt. It was like no building Red could remember. The walls had a strange shine to them, and they seemed to curve off into the floors instead of having corners. White walls lit by white lights. It all looked clean enough to eat from, no matter where she looked. It felt like every step was making the place dirtier. The thought stopped worrying her when she reminded herself where she was, not to mention how important time was.

There didn’t seem to be any windows. Were they underground? Or did they just not want anyone to see what went on here? Red pressed on, heart pounding. Each door seemed to be exactly the same. Greyish in colour, and requiring an ID card to open. Thankfully the decrypter was still good to go, and each door offered no resistance, simply sliding open from the middle with barely a sound. Still, every door she opened could get her seen, which would be a serious problem, weapon or not. 

She was doing pretty well so far. No one saw her, no alarms tripped so far. Red had seen a couple of lenses on the ceiling, but she could only assume that they were blind to her. The place was awfully quiet as well. Too quiet. Where were all the White Hand people? Maybe they focused most of their security on stopping people from getting in. Red didn’t know how far she could push her luck.

While her fortune seemed to helped in keeping her from getting caught, it didn’t seem to do much for her when it came to finding where Elsa was. One by one, she opened the doors on the walls, while getting no closer. Storage room. Meeting room. Some kind of lab? Toilet- male toilet! Red turned right out, blushing. Why couldn’t these rooms have signs? Or even a map? Maybe only people who belonged here got that. Did they want their building to be secure or not?

Red reached the end of the corridor. Yet another grey door faced her. Maybe if she could reach a stairway or an elevator, there would be some kind of map or floor plan she could use. She pressed the decryptor against the scanner. Nothing. She tried again. Denied. What was going on? It hadn’t failed at any point before. There was no reason to think that this door would be too secure. So why wasn’t it-

“You know what?” Red felt a shiver as an all too familiar voice sounded behind her. “This is just sad.” 

* * *

 

Pain. So much pain. How long had this been going on? Four hours? Five? Trying to move hurt. Thinking hurt.  _ Existing  _ hurt. Elsa’s vision blurred, Her skin raged against her. She swore she was starting to hear voices. Or was it one voice? She would not last much longer against this. Perhaps that was for the best.

“Oh, come on. We’ve only been at this for an hour.” An  _ hour _ ? That was impossible. He must have been lying. No, why would he lie? It would be too obvious. There had to be something else. He couldn’t alter time, could he? Perhaps not directly, but what if there was something else? Something that was affecting her-

“You-” Elsa gasped. Talking had gotten a lot more difficult. “You’re altering my perception of time.”

There was a loud, seemingly sincere laugh from the other end. “Oh wow, I honestly didn’t think you’d even be able to form a coherent sentence at this point. Yet here you are pegging me on the first try. You’re absolutely correct. Consider it making up for lost time if you will. Clearly, it’s not working as well as I hoped.” Elsa’s breath slowed. Could it be? Was she  _ winning _ ? Maybe- maybe she could still do this. “Fortunately, a golden opportunity had recently come to my attention. So if you’d kindly turn you attention to what I’m about to show you.”

A panel opened. There was a large screen. Suddenly, it came on. Elsa paled. She saw Red, and another man. Red was on the floor, clutching her stomach. She was bleeding in several places. “What, who is-” Elsa forced a cough, trying to pass the bluff. Trying to hide her horror. It was so clearly her, wearing the same clothes from earlier. 

“If you’d be so kind?” What? He must have been talking to the other man. He landed three more blows on Red. Punch. Kick. Stamp. Elsa flinched each time. “She came barging in here, calling  _ you  _ by name and demanding that we set you free. I have to admit, even I didn’t see this one coming. By all accounts, I expected you would simply have her arrested and continue on your way.” Elsa shook her head gently. The pain in her head was coming back. So was the voice. She could almost make it what it was trying to say. “Yet here she is in some poorly constructed rescue attempt. What happened, did she follow you home after you let her go? She’s awfully clingy, as you’ve probably noticed.”

Elsa felt it. Something inside her. Anger? What else could it be. Red was a lot of things. Few of them particularly flattering. She still wasn’t a bad person. “Why? How can she deserve this?” Elsa gasped. She could hear the voice again. Was it really there or not?

“Life cares little for what you do or don’t deserve. That’s something our little thief friend is learning the hard way. Now that she’s not a solution, she’s a problem. In this case, we still might get some use for her. I’m sure there’s space for one more in that room.”

Elsa’s mind sharpened to a point. From the pitch black depths of despair, a ball of rage lit up, piercing the darkness. Elsa would face death or an eternity of agony alone, but the idea of seeing Red suffer the same fate was incomprehensible. Worse still, it would never stop there. Who else would they twist beyond comprehension with their atrocities? What could she do though, trapped on a chair with a body screaming in agony?

The red light in her mind suddenly turned to white, and the voice returned, this time clear as crystal.

**_ The time has come, my queen. _ **

Elsa had heard that voice before. She must have done. Before she could remember where it was from, everything became a blur, and faded into white.

 

* * *

Red’s trek through the building came to a dead stop. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, Rex of all people appeared to confront her. How long had he known that she was creeping through the building? Maybe she could get that out of him. Or perhaps she could get him to lower his guard for a moment. That was all she needed.

“What are you doing here?” Red suddenly demanded. 

Rex shook his head. “I believe that’s  _ my  _ question. Unlike you, I’m still a part of the White Hand. Since you’re here alone, I’m going to take a guess that no one will notice you’ve gone missing.”

Red felt a chill. What did he mean by that? It may have been plain as day that she was intruding, but surely they could work something out. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“What you want is irrelevant,” Rex replied with the hint a laugh. “In fact, it was irrelevant the moment you stepped out of the van.” Red stepped back. The jig was up the moment it started. They were just toying with her. “I have to say, that was a cute trick, hiding next to the engine. Too bad you forgot to close the hatch you went through. An amateur mistake, from an amateur girl.”

Red whipped out the shock gun. Clearly there other way this could end. “Tell me where Elsa is.  _ Now _ .”

Rex just sneered. “Well, that was rather blunt. You didn’t even have to give that away, but you went and did anyway. Do you  _ ever  _ think before you speak? Since we’re being so open, we saw your every step since you set foot inside here. What, did you think that we would be fooled by our own technology? Everything in this building that turns on is more advanced than your tiny little mind could possibly comprehend.”

Red frowned at him. Did he even notice that she had a weapon pointed right at him. What did he think would happen, that she would be too stupid to be able to aim at him? “I said, tell me where Elsa is. Or else!”

“I’m going to have to say no on that one.” Rex shrugged. “While I’m at it, I’m going to ask you to hand over that weapon and give yourself up. Save us both some embarrassment.”

Red fumed. She may not have used much violence at all in the past, but that was then, this was now. Elsa needed her. For that, Red needed to show him that she wasn’t playing around. She turned the gun’s setting down just a little, and fired.

BANG. There was a bright light. Sharp pain. Worst of all, blood where her only weapon used to be. 

_ Oh, fuck me. He did that, didn’t he? _

 

“Oh, the look on your face. Weren’t you listening? You can’t use our own weapons against us. Only someone like you would try anyway.” Rex cracked his knuckles. Red barely noticed that over the state her right hand was in. “Well, the good news is that you chose a low setting. If you tried to shoot me at full power, you probably would have blown your hand off.” Red’s stomach turned at the thought. Wait, there was bad news? How could this possibly get worse. “The bad news is, you’ve tried to attack me.  _ I don’t have to hold back, now. _ ”

First, Red felt dread. Then, pain. She never saw Rex ever exert himself before. Now, she was finding out in the worst possible way. Kick, punch, smack. She barely saw them, but she  _ felt them _ . She tried to raise her arms. Too slow. With one more hit, she was on the floor. “Stop it.  _ Please _ .”

“You struck first, remember? Or you came as close as someone like you could. It’s too late now.” Every kick found it’s mark. Every punch brought more pain. Every blow  _ hurt _ . It never seemed to stop. 

Red was on the floor, one hand still bleeding, the other trying to stop the pain. “ _ Why _ ? What did I ever do to you?” 

Rex didn’t answer. Instead, he made another series of blows against her. “You know, I’m not one to doubt my boss’s orders most of the time. If it were up to me though, you’d still be in that little concrete box we found you in.  _ Anyone  _ could have done what you did. A trained monkey would have been able to pick up those gemstones. But  _ no,  _ we have to accept the orders to pick up some arrogant, entitled, princess wannabe.” He stamped Red for effect. “It was  _ our  _ hard work.” His foot smashed into her face. “ _ Our  _ plan.” His foot smashed her stomach. “ _ Our  _ technology. You’re nothing, you hear me?  _ Nothing _ ,” He almost spat

She could only lay there. Defeated. She had failed. Failed herself. More importantly, she failed Elsa. The one person who’d offered her real kindness. Red took it and spat in her face. Then she rushed out to try and get Elsa back. That only ended up making things even worse. Was that all she could do? Red couldn’t even speak at this point. How could she have wasted all of her luck so quickly.

“Believe me, I’d love to finish you off myself. But the boss has something very special lined up. Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing your pathetic little friend  _ real  _ soon.” He reached out, as if to grab her head. Then, he stopped. 

Something was wrong. It wasn’t clear at first, but that quickly changed. Cold. So cold. The temperature seemed to have dropped out of nowhere. Red could see her breath in front of her. It sucked the air out of her lungs. The only upside is that it numbed the pain just a bit. That, and Rex appeared to have stopped cold.

“Temperature, the temperature just dropped sharply. Would you care to explain?” He seemed to be talking over a communicator. Something really was off. No room people normally walked through should ever have been that cold. It was even colder than it had been outside. “Well check the system again, moron!”

Rex had been so caught up in his conversation he didn’t even notice the other side of the room. The door there had come open, but it looked like it wasn’t under its own power. Something, or someone had forced the door open. 

“Elsa?” Red gasped. Apparently, Rex had noticed to. There she stood on the other end of the hall. The door she had come through appeared to be stuck open. It was definitely her. Something was wrong, though. Red could feel it. Not just the cold, either.

Elsa just stood there. She said nothing. Didn’t she understand what was going on? Even if she had escaped wherever they were holding her, she hadn’t escaped the building. Rex was still there. How could Elsa possibly hope to beat him? Worst still, even from a distance Red could see something had happened to her. There were large patches of red on her skin she could clearly see around what remained of her shirt. Worst of all, none of this seemed to bother her in the slightest. If anything, Elsa looked bored.

Rex clearly didn’t feel the same way. He had a pistol aimed right at Elsa before Red could blink. “Freeze.” at first, Elsa seemed to listen to him. “I don’t know how you managed to escape, but this ends here.” Elsa blinked. Did she even hear him. She suddenly noticed something else. She wasn’t sure why. Whatever the reason was, Elsa didn’t have visible breath. Red wanted to call out to her, but what little breathing she could do was difficult in the extreme cold. There must have been a few seconds of silence. Then, Elsa stepped forward. “I said,  _ freeze _ !”

A click echoed through the hall. The safety was off. He wasn’t bluffing. Rex probably had orders, but who would tell if he would obey them? Red tried to move her arm. It was so numb. It would probably ice over any second now. If only she could distract him, even for a precious second. Elsa stepped forward again, this time raising a hand. “No-” Red whispered.

BANG! The gun went off, the sound filling the room. It was too late. She couldn’t even help Elsa in this one, simple way. Despite being the prisoner, Elsa had done a far better job getting herself out than Red. Was it all for nothing. Everyone seemed to wait. Wait for the blood to start pouring. For Elsa to try to nurse her wound. Or keel over. Do  _ something _ .

Where had the bullet gone? It couldn’t have missed. Not at that distance. Elsa hadn’t moved at all. Her hand- right there! The bullet seemed to be stuck there in front of her palm. Or perhaps, frozen in place. She reached around it with her hand, looking at it as though she’d never seen a bullet before. 

“ _ Strange _ ,” she finally said. Red was put even more on edge. That sounded like Elsa’s voice, and yet somehow- not. “ _ It looks like you tried to strike me first. Pity _ .” The next thing Red knew, there was a crunch, and a loud cry of pain from Rex. The arm holding the gun was now pinned to the wall by an icicle, and the gun clattered to the ground. His arm was clearly bleeding. The ice hadn’t gone straight through, but it hit the side of his arm, hard. Red found it hard to feel sorry for him.

“ _ What the f-. _ You’ll pay for that, you bitch!” He was in pain, and stuck on the wall. The gun might still be in reach, though. He moved his left hand as close as he could. Just a few inches off. Given more time, he might have been able to get it into his hand. 

Rex was not given more time. Elsa’s left hand had placed itself around his throat. He tried to voice some kind of angry curse, but it was cut short. He balled his left hand into a fist and lashed out. His jab found its mark in Elsa’s chest. She did nothing. If anything, the attack hurt  _ him  _ more. 

“Wha- what are you-” Rex said weakly. Ice erupted from Elsa’s left hand, enveloping his whole upper body. His body moved for maybe a few seconds longer. The silence returned, until Elsa retracted her hand, and the ice shattered.

Red couldn’t believe what she had seen. “E-Elsa. What did you do? Rex. He’s, he’s-”

“Surprised?” There was a voice coming on the intercom, it seemed.  _ Hans.  _ “This is the true face of your little detective friend. She’s a killer, through and through. Even you aren’t safe. How long until you succumb to the cold?”

Elsa’s head suddenly darted around. Within seconds, she was gone, leaving through the door she had forced open. The cold started to fade. Red was alone.

* * *

 

Elsa had finally escaped from the nightmare. Only to be launched straight into a new, drastically worse one.

That voice. The one she kept hearing. At first, she had believed it a sign of approaching insanity. In retrospect, that might have been for the best. The truth was far, far worse. That became eminently clearer as she remembered where the voice was from. It was that night, in the clearing on the mountains. The voice that appeared to come from the ritual being performed. Wherever it had come from, it was now somewhere inside her being. Slowly, it had seized control.

She hadn’t noticed it at first. Elsa had appeared to have blacked out for a moment, and when she awoke, her restraints were destroyed and the room covered. Both, it appeared in a pure ice. Neither concerned Elsa as much, as the predicament she had seen Red in. That was when things started to happen. She moved from room to room, somehow able to force every door in her way to open. She had told herself that it was instinct that was guiding her steps, Now though, she knew better. The moment a man had died by her hand, the realisation came crashing down. It was far too late by then. She had now lost all control. She was a passenger in her own body. Able to look, but not touch.

_ Who are you? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? _

Deep in her conscious, Elsa felt a white light. First, in front of her. Then, it enveloped her very being.

**_ Now now, my queen. You know better than to ask redundant questions. I have come in your time of need. What would have happened, had I not interceded? Do not waste this. _ **

What? Elsa couldn’t believe it. From what she had seen, she didn’t expect the other being to address her directly, much less try to justify itself to her. Maybe it could be reasoned with, to some extent. Elsa doubted it would relinquish control, especially after those last few words.

_ Who are you? Was it necessary to kill him? If I really am your queen, why are you seizing control from my own body? _

**_ This decision to infringe upon your sovereignty was not one I made lightly, and not one I shall repeat. You have found your cause, and I now I shall crush anything that is a threat to that.  _ **

_ You didn’t answer my first question _ . 

**_ A long time ago for your people, I was known as Glaca. You may refer to me however you wish. It matters not. All that matters is we are united now. That is all I will say. _ **

This internal conversation may have appeared to be a waste of time, but apparently the other being, Glaca, was not idle while it was taking place. When Elsa saw through her own eyes, they were apparently in an entirely different hall, much longer than before, let looking eerily similar.

“Stop right there!” There was no time to dwell on it, as two men were charging her way. Not a second later, ice covered the floor. The men fell. Elsa saw the blades of ice rise up underneath them just in time. They didn’t get up. Glaca said she planned to crush them. Those were not empty words.

They stepped forward. Ice formed around anything and everything it could reach. Where were they going? Would Glaca find and eliminate every single person in this facility? It seemed everyone who crossed their path was in grave danger. She surged forwards, each door offering less resistance than the last. A man spotted her and raised his gun. The gun froze in his hands. Then, the rest of him did. Elsa’s personal intruder started again as quickly as she stopped.

Next room. Some kind of checkpoint. There was an elevated platform in the center. It was armed! Elsa desperately tried to move her body. Nothing. She could only pray that her puppeteer had a plan. A hail of bullets erupted from what looked like a turret. They all stopped right in front of her. There was some kind of barrier in front of her.

_ Or, a force so cold, it saps the energy of anything that tries to pass. Astonishing. _

Glaca stretch her arms out when the gun had stopped. Now for the counter attack it seemed. In the space of a second, a stalagtite of ice formed above the nest, before dropping. There was a short scream. Then, everything under the ice was crushed. Soon after, the room was covered in a layer of smooth ice. Elsa could see her reflection. So much had changed.

She had expected the skin burns. She was hardly surprised by the damage her clothing has sustained. What Glaca had appeared to have done went far beyond her imagination. It seemed her body was now covered in a series of pieces of ice Elsa could only assume formed a partial armor. A smooth set of pieces had been formed around most of her limbs, while a series of small ice pieces resembling chain mail covered her chest. The most shocking part was her head. At first, it looked like her hair had vanished. When she looked closer, it appeared to have completely changed in colour. Any traces of her old jet black hue had vanished. It appeared to have turned white, though upon closer inspection it was more like a very pale blonde. Adorning her hair was a series of small icicles curved together, protruding from the top of her head. Was that supposed to be some kind of mock crown? What exactly had the other being done to her? Elsa did not have long to wonder on this, it seemed.

“My, how ruthless of you. I take it my accommodation was not to your liking,” the boss chimed in, once again over the communicator. Elsa had known her corporeal usurper long enough to know it wouldn’t be goaded. While it had taken lives without reservation, it didn’t appear as though it took any pleasure in it, either.

However, they darted ahead as soon as the transmission cut off, shards of ice now forming around her. The other being didn’t say anything, but Elsa could sense it. That man, the leader. He was next.

* * *

 

Red didn’t want to move. She  _ really  _ didn’t want to. Her right hand still felt as though it had been through a shredder, while the rest of her muscles seemed as though they had gone through a wash cycle. She didn’t think it could be much worse, but every time she moved, it turned out it  _ could _ .

She saw Rex, slumped against the wall. He was dead, there was no question. What the hell has Elsa done to him? Had she really created that ice? Was it even ice to begin with? At the time, Red thought of that; seeing how cold it was. It felt like nothing made sense any more. She so badly wished this was all some kind of bizarre nightmare. She’d wake up on that spot on the sofa she had come to call her bed, and she’d never break Elsa’s rules again. It couldn’t be a dream though. It hurt far too much for that.

With great effort, Red slowly managed her way back up to her feet. Her body screamed at her to get back down. She wouldn’t listen. She took one last look at the man who she had once considered her ally. Was he right? Was she just a dumb girl going from rash decision to rash decision? Even now she had every mind to go after Elsa, after watching her kill someone.

_ She didn’t hurt me. And I still can’t shake the feeling Elsa wasn’t herself. _

 

Maybe it was the ways she stood and moved. Maybe it was that strange voice she talked in. Maybe it was the weirdness of ice powers. Red had to know the truth, now more than ever. If Elsa truly never wanted to see her again, then that would be that. Though, if Elsa did actually want to hurt her- well, best not to think about that. She saw the busted door ahead of her. All she had to do was follow the ice.

Easier said than done. It was difficult to get a grip on the icy floors. The walls were covered too which gave her very little to grab onto. There was more than one time she lost her footing and had to regain her balance. A fall would bring back all the all too recent hits and bruises she had suffered. Under any other circumstances, the slow walk ahead would be unbearable, but anything that would put off her facing Elsa again seemed to give her comfort for the time being. It would have to happen sooner or later. That was the choice that she had made. The corpses she found along the way hadn’t helped. Each one seemed to have suffered a worse death than the last. She had to keep going. Tell herself that the weapons the men had in their hands meant they had tried to strike first. That  _ something _ had happened to Elsa. The dread still gnawed at her. Told her to turn back, or just try and get out of this forsaken place. She didn’t listen. She told herself that she had to see this through. That this was what Elsa would do. Perhaps it was because she was doomed to a life of rash choices. 

She made her way across the ice, through the doors that had been forced open, past the bodies scattered on the ground. The ice seemed to be become rougher as she went on, meaning a fall would hurt for more here, but it also gave her an easier grip. She found her way to a set of stairs, and started the dangerous climb. Red didn’t know how long she could find the strength to keep moving forward. As long as it took. That was all she could keep telling herself.

She made it. The main entrance. It looked for all intents like a simple modern looking office reception, save for the streaks of ice all over the floors and walls. There were no bodies here, thanks goodness, but it appeared as though it had gotten dark out. How long had they been down there? It seemed as though they  _ had _ been underground at the time, though. Something whirred in the distance. Red made for the front door.

The trail of ice seemed to have stopped, but Red could hear where the noise was coming from. It seemed it was a small building complex, probably fenced off and containing buildings that looked more glass than anything else.The noise, a loudening whirring had suddenly changed, and Red turned to face it. It seemed as though a helicopter was trying to take off, but was now having trouble. There was a loud crash. It wasn’t hard to tell why. The blades had been frozen and torn off, and now lay scatter on the ground. Red could see Elsa covered in her strange icy clothing, firing off spikes of ice at what remained. A man jumped out, and ran. The pilot. Elsa didn’t even seem to pay him any mind. 

It soon became clear why. Her real target was still inside. As ice started to surrounded what remained of the chopper, he too jumped out. It was him. The boss. The  _ boss  _ boss. Or at least, it used to be.

“ **_ Your progress ends here! _ ** ” Elsa shouted to him. Red realised two things. First, that was definitely  _ not  _ Elsa’s voice, meaning something could be controlling her. Second, neither of the two of them had noticed Red yet. It seemed dangerous to get too close just yet.

“Now now, let’s not be too hasty,” Hans quickly interjected. It seemed he still thought he could talk his way out of this. Elsa shot a blade of ice at his leg. He was clearly bleeding, but if that hurt him, he managed to hide it well. The intent was clear, though. “I’m sure we can be more civil than you’ve been so fa-” he whipped out some kind of gun and fired.

“ **_ Your lack of imagination never ceased to amaze me. _ ** ” With little more than a flick of a wrist, Elsa creature a wall of ice, batting away whatever had been fired at her. “ **_ Now, I will end this. Permanently _ ** .”

“No!” Red called out, running out before she even realised what she was doing. Just like that, she was standing between them. “Elsa- I, I don’t know what they did, or what happened to you, but please, killing him won’t help.” 

“ **_ You are wrong, child. He shall remain a problem as long as he lives _ ** .” There could be no doubt. This was not Elsa she was dealing with. 

A strange sound started up behind her. It seemed Hans had a backup plan. He had lifting off the ground on his own, blood trailing off. Some kind of jet pack? Before she could figure out, he already blasted off into the dark. When Red turned back to Elsa, she saw something growing from her back. Great wings of ice. 

“Fine,” Red whispered. “El- whoever you are. Do what you want.” Red could feel the tears welling up. “But please, give me Elsa back. I beg you! I’ll do anything-” 

It was a small thing at first. Something breaking. Or,  _ cracking _ . Then, she saw it. The ice on Elsa’s body was breaking, bit by bit. The once beautiful ice was now a maze of cracks and breaks. Just like that, they shattered, and blew upwards into the wind. Red rushed forward, managed to catch Elsa’s collapsing body just in time. It looked like she had passed out. With Elsa in her arms, she looked up. It had started to snow.

 

Red somehow managed to get the both of them out of the complex. She could see it in the distance. A lot of lights. Arendelle? She could only hope. Whatever the case was, she would get the both of them back, even if she had to walk. It was the least she could do.


	10. It Tolls for Thee

**Chapter 10: It Tolls For Thee**

The worst of it was over. That was what Red kept telling herself. It was the only way she could keep all of the thousands of thoughts at bay and focus on the task at hand: getting herself and Elsa as far away from there as possible. That was no small feat at this moment in time. She could only push forward. Staying here was too risky. At the same time though, going out through the front entrance would get her seen, too.

There. A hole in a nearby fence. It appeared to have been made when Elsa had- well, whatever it was she had done. Just another thing not to think about too hard on for now. With great effort, Red managed to get herself ready, Her right sleeve had been cut to ribbons, but now she could use that to bandage up her hand for now. With great effort, she finally managed to hoist Elsa over her shoulder and begin moving.

For a hopeless master thief, Red was amazed that this was somehow the longest few minutes of her life. Her hand send sharp pains with every movement she made, while the rest of her ached from the weight she was carrying (which was mercifully not as heavy as she had perhaps expected). The snow was picking up and settling on the ground, and a freezing wound hounded her every step. She was so sure she could get back to the city in a few minutes. Yet another plan that fell apart like wet cardboard.

Once they made it to the roadside, there was a stroke of luck. A bus stop. There was no way to tell what time it was, but there had to be _something_. Anything. The longer they waiting, the more likely it was someone would come after them. There was no way she could protect herself, much less Elsa in her state. What was she supposed to say when the bus got here? This was some kind of girl's night out gone horribly wrong? Hopefully the bruises weren't too bad where her skin was visible.

It felt like forever and a half, but there it was. The driver gave them a funny look, and was none too pleased that Red didn't have any coins. At least she could pay. Maybe the worst really was over? So far, no one appeared to try and kill them, or worse. There was only one other elderly man on the bus, and despite their appearance he barely seemed to notice them. Red wanted to keep a lookout, but the same thoughts kept coming up again and again.

First, there was Elsa herself. The elephant in the room, as much as she hated thinking of it that way. She still appeared to be out cold, but there were still so many things obviously strange, if not horribly wrong. She had placed what was left of her coat on Elsa, but she could still see patches of incredibly red skin all over, but Red couldn't do a more thorough check. Not here, where they might see. They had done a lot more than just hold her prisoner. Red wasn't sure she wanted to know. Even if Elsa wasn't still mad at her, she probably wouldn't want to talk about it. Perhaps that was for the best. She couldn't help but be curious, though. Then there was the drastic change to her hair. Up to the incident, Elsa's hair had been black as night. Looking at it now though, well, it was like comparing night and day. She had heard something before about hair changing colour under extreme pain, but it wasn't anywhere near this fast. Didn't it become white as well? This wasn't too far off, but was more blonde than white.

That wasn't even getting into what Elsa had done. She had somehow conjured ice it seemed, and had used it to kill at least a dozen men, including her former partner. This was main sticking point. How was it all possible? Maybe they had done some kind of experiment on her. Red didn't want to think about that too hard, as this too was hard to think about. She could only hope that the way Elsa had spoken right at the end meant she wasn't herself. She had come so close to killing her former boss. Had Red done the right thing to stop her? Would Elsa go back to her normal self when she woke up?

There was so much Red could come to no answer to. She could only wait and see. As they made there way into the city, she decided the only thing they could do was go back to Elsa's home. She should have gone to the police, or a least a hospital. Red knew that well, and it pained her not to. The only problem was that there would be questions that she didn't want asked. She had technically broken and entered. If she was arrested now, who would help Elsa? It wasn't like they were in any immediate danger, at least for now. Once Elsa woke up, they could figure out what to do from there. Assumed Elsa still wanted her around.

For now, getting her safely home was the least she could do. So, After another wait Red found a second route to get them the rest of the way, and with each step heavier than the last, she pushed forward. The apartment could not have come soon enough. As she walked up to the door, Red saw no signs of damage. Had Elsa really just opened the door? How could she not have expected some kind of danger? Unless-

 _She was expecting me again. It really was my fault, wasn't it_.

There was nothing she could do about it now. If she thought like that now, she'd get too distracted. All she could do now was help out as best she could. Would Elsa even want her help any more? She needed to try, in any case. Through a stroke of luck, the door hadn't been locked. It was almost all over. Red ignored her screaming body, and managed the final few steps to Elsa's bedroom. The place where this all began. Once she had set her down and slipped what was left of the coat off, she paused. This was where everything began. She couldn't stand to be here any longer. Elsa didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. That was, unless the White Hand came knocking again.

They knew exactly where to look. Red had absolutely no plan in dealing with them, and she had lost all faith in her ability to come up with plans. The only weapon that came to mind was Elsa's revolver, and she had no idea where that was. She could only hope that they'd still be reeling from what Elsa had- _done_.

The images of those dead men came back into her mind. The blood, the wounds. The looks of frozen terror. Red needed something to distract herself. _Anything_ that would keep the pain, the anger, the fear, the despair away for a while. She turned on the television. At first, nothing caught her eye. Perhaps nothing would. Then, she turned back a channel. Something looked familiar. The buildings, she had seen them. She had been there.

"What exactly happened at the facility here is still under investigation, but it appears that several people have already been confirmed dead. The exact cause of these people's death is still being investigated however, and the Whitman Research Division has so far declined to comment. We'll give you more information as it becomes available to us."

So even if she hadn't been able to contact the police, someone else had. That was a relief. Hopefully, that would keep them at bay, for now. She had never actually heard of Whitman, but it had White Hand all over it. This would probably increase the alertness of the city if nothing else. With that, tiredness finally won out, and Red fell into a deep, if uneasy sleep. Everything would be alright.

* * *

Red jerked awake, not for the first time. Getting to sleep was harder than ever, thanks in no small part to the pain she was still going through, and everything she had to process. Her hand still felt like it had been cut in two (and that was when there _wasn't_ any pressure on it), and most of her muscles still ached pretty badly. That being said, it could be so much worse. No one had come to make them disappear for good in the night, and they had to get better sooner or later, right?

It was all thanks to Elsa, really. Even if she had done so in a such a brutal way, she had managed to save both of them. Of course, there was still the question of whether that really _was_ Elsa. Even if wasn't, would she talk about it? Would she want to talk to Red _at all_? She was still supposed to be Elsa's bad books, after all. She wanted so badly to knock on that door so they could finally talk, but there was always a chance she was still resting. Best to wait just a little longer.

Soon enough, a little longer was a lot longer. Even as daylight finally started to emerge, there was still no sign of anything changing. Red looked out the window. By the looks of things, it had been snowing the entire night. There had to be several inches of fresh powder on the ground at least, and there were few signs of life, save for the occasional truck trying to grit the road. Even the window was bone-chilling to the touch. The strangest thing was that somehow, deep in her mind, she thought this wasn't just a coincidence. There hadn't been a single snowflake up to now. Right after the the incident, it was as though the skies couldn't hold back any longer. She gave a gentle sigh. She never really could enjoy the snow, as it meant the cold would be even harder to keep away, especially when you have nowhere to call home. Looking out now, she couldn't deny there was a certain beauty to it. She couldn't get too distracted, though. She still had bigger problems.

Every minute that she heard nothing from the other room put Red more and more on edge. What if Elsa wasn't getting up? Red was no doctor, that was for certain. What carrying Elsa all that way had caused something to go wrong? What if Elsa had started bleeding? What if the injuries were far worse than they looked? What if-

There. A noise. She was certain of it. Maybe she had started to panic over nothing. Elsa would be alright. She hoped. Red would have a thousand sorries ready for what she had done, and a thousand more after that. Maybe a few more for good measure. It probably wouldn't be enough, but she just had to try. Just as soon as Elsa opened that door. Any minute now. She had to come out sooner or later, right? It seemed as though it would be later rather than sooner.

No problem, no problem. Elsa just had a lot on her plate, that was all. Red hadn't exactly done much to help that. If anything, she had probably just made things worse. Hell, she probably still _was_ making things worse. The last thing she needed was Red getting in her way. As far as she knew, Elas might not even want her here any more. That was it. All she had to do was give her some space.

Red walked up to the door. That one door that had started all of this. "Hey, Elsa? I- I'm just gonna head out for a bit, okay? I'll get something for- well, something to make you feel better, don't worry." With that, Red braced herself. Thank goodness she had some winter boots.

The walk was every bit as difficult as she had feared. The snow dragged at her, while making her legs colder by the minute. The snow continued to fall, and a freezing headwind attempted to hold her back even further. It seemed as though she was the only one brave enough, or perhaps foolish enough to try and make it through on foot. She saw maybe one or two other stragglers, but most seemed to stick to the comfort and warmth of their cars. She soon lost track of time, but that didn't matter much. The more time Elsa had to herself, the easier this would be.

She had made it. Her legs would probably be soaked soon, and with the snow still falling and things to carry, the trip back would be even more difficult with everything she had to carry. She would just have to deal with it. After all, wasn't that what Elsa was doing? Now that she was here, Red looked around. She really should have drawn up a list first.

She didn't know how much more time had passed from arriving at the shop until she made it back. It had taken a while for find something that could help with Elsa's burns, and the best kind of painkillers in case there was anything deeper below that was hurting, and perhaps to soothe her hand. On the subject of her hand, it made the burden to bear that much greater on the way back. The bitter cold might have numbed it a little, but she chose not to risk it. Just like the night before, every stop felt a little heavier than the last, but she pressed on. For Elsa's sake.

She made it to the front door. Was she really doing this for Elsa? Or simply so she could get back into Elsa's good graces? It had to be worth a try.

She gave the door a couple of knocks "I'm back. I- I got some stuff for your skin. I hope that helps. I'm sorry, by the way-" Red couldn't continue. Fortunately, the door clicked open just a few seconds later. By the time Red made it inside though, Elsa had retreated back into her room. At least she hadn't left the door locked. That was probably only because Red had managed to get the things she needed. Not to mention she had spent Elsa's money doing so.

She carefully unpacked everything she had picked up, making sure to leave the medication she had picked up on the table, so Elsa could find it. She noticed something that wasn't there before. A small thank you note.

She gave her first real smile that day. Elsa may not have come to talk to her yet, but everything would be alright.

* * *

On Monday, Red took a walk around the block to clear her head. The snow was still rather deep, but at least there was no more falling for now. In the time she was gone, she had managed to coax Elsa into giving up her dirty laundry so she could get it all cleaned. With all of the clothes washed, she could hang them up to dry, In this weather it would _hopefully_ only be a few days before they were dry again. She tried her hand at cooking, only _slightly_ burning the bread (she'd probably find a way to burn cereal) and left a toasted sandwich at Elsa's door almost like an offering, before heading out for a second time. She found sleep came slightly easier than before, but she still waited for Elsa to come out.

On Tuesday, Red rolled up her sleeves and did her best to clean the place up. It felt like little more than keeping up appearances as they say, but she needing something to take the time up. Once again, she took a short leave of the room to give Elsa some space, though this time she only went as far as the front door of the apartment block. It was just too cold. Or maybe she just couldn't bear to be too far away any longer than she has to be. She thought of looking through the window from the outside, but decided not to. Even if Elsa was there, she probably would have moved away the moment she noticed. Was there any point? It didn't matter, she had to try. She had to wait for Elsa to come out.

On Wednesday, Red decided to try and relax a little, while she checked on how her body was doing. Try being the key word. The pain in her right hand was starting to fade, but it still looked like a mess. While her bruises didn't look quite as bad any more, every time she looked at them there was another painful reminder of how they got there. How could he have hated her that much? What had she done wrong? Why had he turned so harshly? Maybe there was just something she didn't realise. When she left the apartment, she only went as far as the other side of the hallway, not a metre away. While there was little she could do but think, here they were louder than ever. Wondering. Fearing. _Dreading_. How much longer would it be before Elsa decided she didn't want her around any longer? Perhaps it was best that there was silence between them. Even so, she would wait for Elsa to come out.

The wait wasn't getting any easier though. The notes from Elsa were the exception, not the rule. The rift between them seemed to grow a little larger every day. A rift that Red reminded herself that she had created, by breaking that one little rule she really shouldn't have. By jumping after Elsa with yet another foolhardy plan that blew up in her face. Why hadn't Elsa kicked her out yet? There had to be some kind of reason, right. If only Elsa would come out and just _tell_ her. Would they spend the rest of their lives on opposite sides of a door? Or was Elsa simply waiting for the perfect moment to shatter what little hope she had. It would hardly be the first time it had happened to her.

Of course, there was one other option. She could always choose to just stand her ground. Sooner or later, she would _have_ to come out of her hiding place and face her that way. It didn't take long to decide against that. Elsa was smart, she probably would figure out some other way to avoid speaking to her. Or she would just decide she was better off starving. Red couldn't bear the idea of being responsible for that after all she'd done. It was becoming clearer and cleared with each passing day that waiting simply wasn't working. Without that, there weren't many other options. Red could only wait, and hope everything would be alright.

* * *

It had been about a week since Red had made that fateful escape from the White Hand with Elsa in tow. It had been complete radio silence between the two of them since then, and it was finally getting to be unbearable. The worst thing about it all was that no matter how hard she tried, Red just couldn't figure out _why_. She knew full well what she had done to upset Elsa before the whole incident started. She could even understand that hell unplanned rescue attempt hadn't helped much. Not to mention Elsa wasn't exactly the most talkative person ever. So she would have said _something_. Even with all the strange things that had happened,

With the notes she had been receiving, Red wanted so badly to believe that Elsa hadn't changed. That any day now, they'd finally meet face to face and she could get that second chance she so badly wanted. Perhaps that was it. Her being allowed to stay here to begin with was her second chance. Red had only gone and jumped at the chance to waste it. Perhaps everything she had done since then was for nothing. Elsa had decided that she hated her so much that she was barely going to act like she existed. Sooner or later, Red would figure out that she wasn't wanted there any more and leave (knowing her, it would be later). Once she had gone, Elsa could get back to her life. Back to tracking down the White Hand without any stupid, pointless, annoying distractions. She wouldn't even have to feel bad as Red simply left on her own. She really had thought of everything. She always did.

One more day. Red had already used up all the money that Elsa had given her, so there wasn't any point in trying to hold out any longer. She would pack the few things that Elsa had given her and wait until the next day. One last chance. Everything- everything _wasn't_ alright. Only Red herself would take so long to stop making excuses and finally realise that.

The last few days seemed to drag on for what seemed like forever, but the night leading up to the one crucial moment seemed to creep up on her like nothing else. Every time she gave it even a little thought, she realised how much she really didn't want to do this. What other choice did she have, though? If she tried staying any longer she would just start to go hungry as Elsa continued to hole up in her room. No, this really was best for everyone involved. She had managed to get all the clothes she could into a small bag. Her right hand still had visible wounds, but the pain was mostly gone by now. Maybe one day she'd get over having to do this as well. She'd never forget about this though, that was for certain.

Once again, she hovered over the door. How many times had it been now? No more. Just maybe the hardest words she would ever have to say. Then maybe this stupid door wouldn't tear her apart any longer. Or so she hoped.

After a few minutes steeling herself, she finally did it. For the first time, she knocked on the door. "Elsa? I- I know you can hear me. Look, you don't have to say anything, okay? Just. Just listen to me. _Please_." She had to take a deep breath. Her voice was wavering already. She could do this. She _could_ do this. "I just- I'm just- I'm _sorry_ , okay? I'm so, so sorry. This is all my fault. When you tried to keep me out of the investigation, I thought you were wrong. I thought I knew better than you. It was so _stupid_. I just thought maybe if I can find what you were hiding, maybe you would trust me."

She forced a quiet, empty laugh. "I should have stayed out of it. Your room, the investigation, _everything_. I couldn't possibly have helped you no matter how hard I tried, but I guess I wanted you to think more of me than some lowlife thief. All I did was make things worse. Then, when I realised they were taking you away, I had to do _something_. So of course, I ended up making things worse _again_." She slumped herself against the door, trying even harder to hold back the tears. "That's all I _ever_ do, isn't it? Make things worse. It's no wonder nobody who knows me can stand me."

"And you still saved me. You let me into your home and I ruin it. Then I mess up again and you still decide to save me again. I don't know how you did it. I don't even know _why_ you did it. You could have just left me there. _I_ would have probably left me there." Red felt a chill, and she started clutching her arms. Was she just imagining it? "You really do deserve better than me. So that's why I've decided to go. I've just been dragging you down this time, and I don't want to hurt you any longer. Don't worry, I'll think of something."

That was it, she couldn't hold the tears back any more. She really _was_ a terrible liar. "Before I go, there was one more thing I never told you about. One more thing that I didn't want you to know. I might as well tell you know. It's not like you can possibly think any less of me." She took another breath. She could have sworn she could see it in front of her. "That time I told you about, when me and Amber fell out? Well- well, something else happened. I dunno if she sold me out, or I was just being _stupid_ again."

Finally, Red found the strength to get back on her feet. There wasn't much left, but this felt like hardest part of all. "I got caught, okay? I went flying into some shop and I was arrested. Turns out they were able to pin a lot more on me than I even realised. So I went to prison. I don't really remember how long. Don't really want to. It was the worst time of my life. I knew it was my fault, but it really was the worst time of my life. I thought I would have to change, but I had no idea how. Then, something really weird happened. They came for me. The White Hand. They broke me out. I never did find out why they went to all the trouble, but I wasn't about to turn them down. That was why I worked with them so closely. After a while, I really did think they'd give me everything I ever wanted. A lot of good _that_ turned out."

She picked up her small bag of clothes. It looked it would be cold nights from here on out. "There it all is, Elsa. I've been nothing but an obstacle since the moment we met, and everything you did since then was despite my actions, never because of them. You were- no, you _are_ amazing. I just wish I wasn't too selfish to realise that. Goodbye, Elsa. I hope you find what you're looking for."

The exit was just a few steps away. As Red would soon find out, there was a world of difference between getting there and going through. She'd never see Elsa again. That thought gave her more pause than she wanted to admit. No, this was about what _Elsa_ wanted. No wonder she had spent all these years only thinking about give something up when you had so little to spare was _hard_.

With a click, the door came open. In that moment, Red was sure she heard something behind her. Or maybe she just _hoped_ she had. Something, _anything_ that would give her excuse to put this whole thing off. She shook her head. If she stopped for every little thing, she'd never leave. Then she heard something else. Something that made her heart stop.

" _Red_." That was definitely Elsa's voice. There was no mistaking it. Something about it seemed off though. There was a faintness to it that Red had never heard before. Red could never remember a time when there wasn't a clearness and authority to her voice. What's more, she could never remember a single time Elsa had addressed her by name. It was enough to get her interest. So she turned around. There she was.

Elsa. It had to be. Even though it looked almost nothing like the Elsa she knew. Her hair was still the same pale blonde it had been that fateful night, but it had lost all order and was hanging around her head limply, even covering her eyes a little. Her clothes didn't seem to be doing much better, even though Red had done her best to keep them fresh. More worrying though was her appearance. Her eyes seemed baggy and tired, and her whole stance seemed like she would fall over any second. When was the last time she had slept? Was Red being here really _this_ bad for her? "Elsa, please, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't go," Elsa gasped. " _Don't go_ ," She could have said anything at that point and Red would have been at a loss for words, but this was something else. Did Elsa really still want her here? Why would she have shut her out for so long then? Everything was so confusing. Elsa started moving towards her, one heavy step after the other. The were maybe a foot apart. Finally, Elsa fell forward. Red instinctively moved her arms forward, dropping her bag and catching Elsa.

It was strange. This had happened before, that night in the compound. Yet somehow, it felt so, so different. From a glance, it seemed that Red wasn't the only one who was holding back the tears. She thought she'd never see Elsa cry. Here it was, though. She had Elsa's weight in her arms again, but this time it actually felt like Elsa _needed_ her.

For all the pain and the misery, it was the greatest feeling in the world.


	11. Going Legit

**Chapter 11: Going Legit**

Finally, Elsa has the first opportunity in recent memory to enjoy waking up. While her problems yet persisted, it was nice that for once, the positive outweighed the negative. The future was still quite uncertain, as was the reason that Red was lying in bed right next to her. She wasn't even under the sheets, but it seemed as though once again Red decided to invite herself into Elsa's room without permission. Even after everything Elsa had seemed to put her through, she was willing to forgive it all, at least for now.

For the past week, Elsa existed in a state of torpor. She was initially surprised that she had woken up in her own bed and not a hospital, or perhaps some place far worse. As soon as she heard Red's voice, her most probable theory on the matter was quickly confirmed. Most likely the authorities were not involved due to Red still fearing the possibility of being apprehended. Fortunately, a cursory inspection of her body showed that the was a low chance of any further complications.

Once she figured out the chain of events leading here, there was little left for her to think about. Soon enough, the _memories_ came back. At first, she was certain that it would be the memories of the pain she endured would be haunting her the most. Upon her involuntary reflection however, she could hardly remember any of it, even though it seemed like she had suffered for hours on end.

One of those drugs. One or more of many used on her during her incarceration. Perhaps an unintended side effect of it, or perhaps the mind simply wasn't equipped to handle the memories of that length of time. Impossible to be certain. Perhaps that was to her benefit. The lucid memories were far more terrifying to her.

The first thing she could remember clearly was seeing Red on the floor, beaten and broken. That sight had awoken something within her. Elsa still didn't truly understand why. There was a brief moment where the memories became hazy. Then it was back to all it's vivid, horrific detail. As far as she could tell, something _else_ seized control of her body. From there, it was one kill after another. Thirteen in all. Despite having no agency over her body, she remembered each successive kill . Their faces showing surprise. Disbelief. _Terror_. They had clearly never seen what Elsa was capable of before, and they would never see it wasn't even the worst part, though.

Every time she saw them die by her own hand, if not her own actions, she felt _nothing_. Not a hint of remorse, no signs of doubt in her actions. Not even any disgust at what she witnessed. This thought alone sent her reasoning skills to all the places she dreaded. To the one horrifying, yet inevitable revelation: she was probably always like this. For as long as she could remember, there was almost nobody who she formed any kind of real connection with, much less emotional attachments. For the longest time, she had rationalised it as simply a part of her personality, something hardly unique to her. She reveled in pursuits of the mind, not pursuits of other people. That was what worked for her. Her violent, uncontrollable awakening cast everything in a much different light.

There was the possibility of the supernatural being involved. At even a cursory glance though, it was all rather ridiculous. Projecting ice at will? It defied everything that had been established by science. Yet, the moment her curiosity got the better of her, one of the few things she thought she understood was completely turned on its head.

Ice. She was _creating_ ice. Everything from the gentlest of snow to deadly, razor-sharp spikes could be conjured from the very palm of her hands. There was something else. Something on the edge of her mind in the preceding days. She placed her hand on the window pane. Nothing. The snowfall showed it was clearly frigid outside, but it seemed that the cold was something else she no longer felt. How was any of this possible? Her curiosity made her wish to see what this power was capable of. Unfortunately, the rest of her memories filled her with dread. That _other_ being. Glaca. That was what it called itself, at least. Was there another being? At this point, Elsa wasn't sure what to believe. How did she know that she had not suffered some kind of psychotic breakdown? That she invented an "intruder" in her own mind, to avoid the accountability of her drastic actions? Maybe the police would burst in at any moment to lock her away for good.

So, she sat there, torn on what to do. For once in her life, she had no plan. No train of thought. Only the very real possibility that she was a monster. She couldn't go out there. She couldn't see anyone, much less talk to them. Least of all, the very person who was closest to her. The very sight of Red hurt was what started her rampage. Elsa remembered that the clearest of all. To not go out there and talk to her was the most difficult thing to do.

Elsa was well aware of the mistakes Red made. Technically, she hadn't forgiven her for breaking into her room. Not to mention her rather poor rescue attempt. She couldn't help but wonder what went through the mind of the thief sometimes. However, that couldn't be said right now. From the tone of her voice alone, Elsa could sense only concern from Red. She knew that Red must have been in all kinds of pain. She never once complained, though. Never once blamed Elsa for anything, not even her refusal to come out and speak to her. That only served to make what she was doing all the more difficult. Red's words became shakier, weaker, less sure with each passing day. Even so, she didn't seem to give in. Red may not have been the most capable woman in the world. Not by a long shot. Still, she was _trying_. The worst thing was, she didn't even understand how much of a difference she was making.

So of course, it all came to a head when Red finally decided it was best for both of them (but mainly Elsa, no doubt) if she left forever. Even from the other side, Elsa could hear how close to crying she was. How little of a plan she really had. How horrible about herself she felt. It seemed that fate finally forced her hand. There was no way Red would last too long out there. In the cold, against possibly both the police and the White Hand. So she opened the door in the nick of time. In that one moment, Elsa somehow managed to reach out in a way she never thought possible. Red was all too willing to accept her plea. It was a tough week, but with a little work, everything would be alright.

* * *

Apparently, Elsa wasn't quite done sleeping just yet. After the week she had, it would take a bit of time to get her sleeping hours back on track. There were, of course, more pressing issues to deal with. Eleven O'clock. Good, there was still the rest of the day. It was time to put her windfall to good use.

Elsa once more took the time to make herself presentable, and finally stepped out of her room like normal human being. Or, as close as she ever could be now. Red seemed to have taken up her usual spot in front of the television, watching some kind of news broadcast it seemed. The moment she saw Elsa walk in, the television was off. Elsa took a seat beside her.

"So," Elsa started.

"Uh- so," Red shot back, clearly trying her best to stay calm. "I made some toast for you. It's probably cold now, so, uh, I can make some more, no problem." There was a brief, palpable silence. "I'm so sorry! I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry-"

"Calm down. It's alright." Of course, things weren't quite alright, but it was the closest they had been for the past week or so. Moreover, Elsa could finally put a plan into motion to get things moving again.

"Look, I know you're- wait, you're _not_ mad?"

Elsa quietly sighed. Shouldn't _she_ have been the one asking that? Elsa had shut her out all this time, and Red had been nothing but patient and accommodating to her behaviour. "No. No, I'm not. I was a little disappointed, perhaps. The truth is that I'm just as responsible for the way things turned out."

"But it _is_ my fault, don't you get it?" Suddenly, Red was standing up. She was clearly angry, but Elsa could clearly see it wasn't directed her way. " _I_ started all this. You told me to stay out of your room, and I couldn't even do that. Then, when that got you taken away, I did the stupidest thing possible. All I managed to do was get both of us caught instead of just you. Don't you see that?"

Elsa looked away pensively. Clearly, their problems wouldn't just go away from one good night's sleep. "I'm well aware of your actions, save how you made it into the White Hand's complex, not to mention how you made it back. That, we can discuss at another time. As I said, I had my part in this, in spite of what you might think."

"It's okay, Elsa. You don't have to cover for me." Red slowly turned away, clutching her arms. "This all happened because I couldn't follow simple instructions, Because I thought I knew better than you. Because I only thought about myself."

"I see." Elsa took a deep breath. Emotional reassurance wasn't her strong point, not by a long way. She had to say something, though. The truth. No matter how much it might hurt. "Let's go back to the beginning, alright? When I asked you those questions about your past, you made it clear that you wanted to be more involved with the investigation. I rather forcefully refused, to the point of making a few less-than flattering comments about you. After which I proceeding to barely talk to you at all."

"You weren't exactly wrong, were you," Red muttered.

" _Please_ , let me finish." Elsa cut in. Now for the hard bit. "I think at that point it was fairly obvious that you were feeling left out, and then me leaving you nothing to do save, sit around all day wasn't helping at all. You weren't going to change your life stuck in front of the television. I could tell that you were closer and closer to doing something rash, most likely sneaking into my room. Instead of trying to placate you, I decided to set a trap for you."

Red's face froze. Clearly it had a bit of trouble sinking in. "So, you mean that time you went out-"

Elsa could only nod slowly. "Of course. I didn't need to leave the past few days thanks to your help, but I never even thought about that. I wanted to believe you were the same as ever, even though you continued to help out without being asked. Even though you never complained about what I was doing. Then- then I got careless. When I heard someone at the door, I assumed it was you. I was so preoccupied that I didn't even consider _they_ had come to pay me a visit. I know you've probably run the way things should have gone through your head like I have. What's done is done. If I was ever mad at you, it's long gone after you looked out for me these past days."

There was another pause, as Red appeared to gather her thoughts. "Well, yeah, I, but- I only did all of that for _me_. Don't you get it? I couldn't go out there into the freezing snow, I just- I just thought if I helped out long enough maybe you'd let me off the hook."

"Do you honestly believe that?" Elsa gave her a soft, yet probing look. "Did you really decide that jumping in headfirst after me without any kind of plan, up against possibly the most dangerous organisation in the world was _in your best interest_?"

"I-I-I-," Red's breathing was heavy and unsteady. "I didn't really have time to think about it, okay? I saw those men walking into the building, and I knew who they were. _Why they were there_. I couldn't just let them leave with you. I couldn't. I know how stupid it was, but I- I'd never forgive myself, if I let them.

Elsa nodded slowly. "I think I understand. The thought of something happening to me terrified you far more than what might happen to you."

"Well, yeah, I guess." Red suddenly turned away. Elsa swore she saw just the hint of a blush.

"It's okay." Elsa extended a hand on Red's shoulder. "Just look me in the eye, and tell me that was you being selfish."

"Don't you get it? It was _stupid_!" Red blurted out, before sighing.

"I didn't say stupid, did I?" Elsa's gaze hardened. "Look at me, Red. _Look at me_." It had started to sound more like an interrogation than Elsa might have like, but it had the desired effect. "Why do you keep talking like this? Acting as though you're a lost cause?"

"I- it's just-," Red stammered, unable to maintain eye contact. "Well, before all of this, I thought I at least had those amazing heists I pulled off. That there was _something_ I was good at. But it was all a lie. Without all that tech and the others helping me, I wouldn't have stood a chance. And the one person in the White Hand I thought was my friend. He _hated_ me. He kicked me to the ground, again and again, like he enjoyed it." Elsa paled. The memories of what she had seen on that screen. She had to push them out of her mind. "Everything I thought I was good at was a lie, and everyone who knows me, hates me. What am I supposed to do, Elsa? Even if you lost everything, you'd still be really, really clever. I don't even have any of that."

"You have something even better than that, believe fact that you're still here, after all I put you through, proves it. You've shown a lot more patience and care than I ever deserved, whether or not you realise it."

Red stalled. Her eyes started to dart around. "Yeah, well, um, _anyone_ could have done that, you know!"

How could someone cling onto a low self-esteem with such fervor? Elsa quietly sighed. "That's the thing about this world. The more people that _could_ do it, the less people actually end up doing so. They think it's beneath them. That someone else will deal with it, or it's not worth the effort."

Suddenly, Red's attention was back on her. "Elsa, that doesn't make sense. There _wasn't_ anyone else. How could I have possibly expected someone to come along and help you when no one else even knew?"

"Well, I-" Elsa blinked. Damn, that analogy sure fell through quickly, even against her. She needed something else, and fast. "Look, you- I don't- you have to-" Elsa cursed herself. She was capable of cracking some extremely difficult problems against the odds, but now that Red was looking her in the eye, the words dried up like water in the desert. There had to be some way to articulate exactly what she was feeling. Some expression that-

 _No_. This wasn't some kind of problem, or mystery, or calculation. She wanted Red to stay. It was far simpler, and yet somehow she was out of her depth. Saying something simple clearly wouldn't work since Red was so determined to leave, but Elsa could think of nothing. Time was running out.

"Elsa, I know I might have helped out a little. But I'm a thief. A criminal. An _escaped_ criminal. I didn't even tell you that until the last second. If I were caught now, you'll end up in just as much trouble as me."

Elsa managed a smile, despite herself. The ball was back in her court. "Do you really believe walking out of that door forever will change that? We both have a far greater threat to deal with than the police. The White Hand is your enemy as much as it is mine. In spite of the, well, _setbacks_ they've suffered, I doubt you'll be able to evade them forever on your own, and I don't want you to freeze or go hungry trying. Be honest, do you have any real plan for if you left right now?"

Red could only tilt her head down. "Every time I try to come up with a plan, I only end up making things worse."

"I'll take that as a no," Elsa said, shaking her head. "Yet, you still managed to get both of us home when the- _incident_ ended. I still don't know how you did that."

"Oh, yeah, that." She was evasive again. "I know I should have called the police, or an ambulance, or _something_. I just didn't want to go to jail again. Also, I kind of didn't have a phone. So I found a bus stop. We weren't too far outside the city. I kinda carried you most of the way. I swear, I thought you could see a doctor after-"

"Wait, you did _what_?" Elsa cut in. "You carried me all that way? Red, you were hurt. Badly. I saw all of it." That was the one thing she remembered from that fateful night the clearest of all. Even if Elsa couldn't quite explain why, it was the worst part of all of it.

"I know, Elsa. But it's true, I swear. The pain wasn't quite so bad, out in the cold. I had a lot of training, so I'm stronger than I look. I- I couldn't let you stay out in the cold any longer than I had to, not with it snowing so fast."

Elsa nodded. Of course, Red would have no idea that the cold didn't seem to have any affect on her any longer. It seemed to strain credibility at the very least, and yet Elsa didn't believe Red was lying at this point. "You did that all by yourself? You think _anyone_ could have done that?"

"I-" Red's eyes were starting to water, and Elsa wasn't entirely sure why. "If it was anyone else, they would have called the police or something. But I didn't. You know why? Because I didn't want to go to prison again. There, I only thought of myself, _again_."

She could stop the tears any longer, leaving Elsa to sit there uncomfortably. Her first instinct was to wait and let it pass, but she quickly realised: that would have happened some time during the past few days. Red needed someone now, more than ever. These past few days, Elsa had been making things worse herself, even if she didn't realise it.

To any normal person, the solution would probably be simple. That was just it. In every way, except perhaps her appearance, Elsa was the farthest thing from normal. It felt so absurd, but this truly was a throw of the dice. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around Red. The movements were stilted and beyond awkward. Elsa wasn't sure what the ideal position was. She hadn't done this in so long. Just being this close made her uncomfortable. Yet, Red wasn't pushing her away. In fact, she even seemed to be calming down. Maybe there was hope yet. "I know this is hard, but I don't think leaving now will help. I can give you a chance. A _real_ chance this time. But you have to trust me."

Red finally mustered to compose herself, and wipe her face dry. "You- you'd do that for me? After everything I've done?"

Elsa sighed, only this time with just the slightest bit of levity. "You also need to stop selling yourself short. You're not a lost cause. Not as long as I still believe you can change." She let go. "If you just trust me, I'll do everything in my power to help you. But first, there's something you need to see." Elsa extended her left hand, pointing it upwards. Perhaps a second later, a flurry of snow and ice shot up, scattering around the room. Strangely, it came not from any special focus or state of mind. It simply _happened_.

* * *

"So, you can-"

"Shhhh," Elsa cut in. "Not here." She would have preferred to keep this conversation indoors, but they had spent enough time there as it was, and what precious little December daylight left that day was burning. There was a place they needed to go. Somewhere Elsa never thought she would go, least of all like this. How quickly things changed.

So, they changed into their winter wear and set off, not that Elsa needed to any more. The cold was still very much apparent, even if she could no longer feel it on her skin. Every window in sight was layered in frost, be it car or building. While much of the snow that might hinder them was either shoveled to one side or gritted, there was no lack of it to be found. All of it only helped to remind Elsa of what she could now do. What she had _already done_. That was the crucial question. Was it really some foreign being controlling her actions, or some elaborate trick of her mind? She suspected it would never happen again. That infuriated the investigator inside her more than anything else.

"Elsa, you alright?" She was snapped out of her reverie. "I thought you were going to say something."

"Right, sorry. It's essential we keep this under wraps, for now. At least until I better understand what's going on. If anyone discovers this, I fear they may not have our best interests at heart. You _must_ swear not to talk about it, until I say otherwise."

Red shrugged. "Come on, who else would I tell, anyway?"

"I'm _serious_ , you know." Elsa didn't bother to glare at her, but the tone of her voice should have gotten the job done.

"So was I," Red said sheepishly, looking away. "I'm sorry, Elsa."

Just like that, Elsa was the _bad guy_. Why couldn't she read Red's intentions like a normal person? Why couldn't she _interact_ like a normal person? "It's no problem, as long as you meant it." She would do as she had always done: focus on the task at hand. "In any case, we're heading to South Col Marina, the second largest in the city. It should be mostly quiet this time of year."

"I'll say," Red said with a little shiver. "Who'd want to go sailing in _this_ weather? Why do _we_ want to go sailing in this weather?"

Elsa actually managed a laugh. "We're not going sailing, Red. There's someone I'm hoping we'll find there. Someone that might be able to assist this your- _our_ problem."

"Oh." Red looked introspective for a brief moment. "Who?"

Elsa took a quick spin around. Nobody in earshot, at least for the moment. "There was something I was following, both while in the force and out. First, it was a notorious criminal I was hoping to put away when everyone else had failed. Then, it might have been someone who could have assisted my search for the White Hand. He- or she was, and hopefully still is nothing short of a master fraudster. Ever since they showed up, all kinds of doctored documents and elaborate forgeries have come into circulation. Not that most people would ever know."

"So, what, they make fake money and other stuff?" Red asked.

Elsa shook her head. It would be far too risky to try and counterfeit money. In an economic centre like Arendelle, that would draw too much attention from the wrong people. That was more than Elsa could explain to her in a short conversation, though. "It's mostly documents, really. The kind of thing most people keep to themselves, if they can help it."

Red bit her lip just a bit. "And what, you think they're on one of these boats, or something?"

Elsa gave a short nod. "Based on all the evidence I've looked through and the searching we've done, that's what makes the most sense. Of course, that wouldn't be the first time somebody tried something like this. In fact, the police already searched this avenue and turned up practically nothing."

"So, you think there's something they missed?" Red offered.

"Naturally," Elsa confirmed, stopping at one of the branches. "This isn't just any city, but Arendelle Port City. Anyone who wanted to outmaneuver the police would have to be well prepared. As long as they can avoid making some kind of pattern or correlation, they could stay below the radar. I suspect they used a number of boats, frequently altering their appearance, not to mention their registration details. However, no matter how much they try to hide it, the pattern is always there if you look hard enough. In this case, there's one commonality I've noticed, perhaps by chance." She took a breath, and looked around. No signs of activity so far. Either nobody had seen them just yet, or this was all for naught.

"Come on, Elsa. Don't leave me in the dark." Red rubbed her arms. "The sooner we're out of this cold, the better."

"Right. The police managed to piece together a trail of the forger's movements, but they changed things up so fast it hadn't helped much. However, there was a strange hole in the pieces. Almost every winter, the trail, quite literally, went cold. It appeared as though whoever was doing this, wasn't around those times of year."

Red shivered a little. "You know, can't really blame them."

"I'm not done yet." Elsa stopped, then exhaled. She couldn't possibly know what Red meant. Not any more. Unless this power went away, which she strongly suspected it would not, until her final moment. "Well, it's probably best we don't just stand here too long anyway." She directed them just a little further on, in front of another fishing boat brimming with snow. "In short, there was a decrease, but not total disappearance of new documents, not just around the winter, but whenever it was snowing heavily. The trail we picked up showed whoever was doing this was using the marinas for more expensive ships, so I formed an idea. What if they wanted to lay low, somewhere no one expected them to be, but in comfort? At any other time of the year, the top of the boat would give it away. Now, though? The snow covers that all up. For now, it can pass as a simple commercial boat. Since no one comes round here this time of year, no one looks too closely. At least, that's the idea."

"Uh, okay. So is it here or not?" Perhaps bringing Red here wasn't such a great idea. Elsa couldn't afford to hurry, but Red wanted her to. It probably didn't help that there was only her hypothesis, nothing solid.

"Maybe. I need to take a closer look. Then we can go pick up some hot drinks again, alright?" They managed to share a smile. "Alright, stay here while I check this out. If anyone asks, just say we're scouting this place out while it's quietest to see if there's any space we can use. I'll be as quick as I can, I promise." Not exactly the most airtight story, but it wasn't the easiest to directly challenge, either.

Elsa advanced along the pier, each footfall slightly unsure. Unsure of whether or not she actually wanted this lead to be correct or not. Her instincts had been effective at pointing her in the right direction. The problem was that it never ended well for her once she arrived. Was she simply out of her depth? It always seemed to be by sheer luck that she made it out, and it always came at a price. How much longer would her luck, if you could call it that, hold out?

Elsa shook her head, passing one boat after the next. She told herself what she always did. Whenever you feel like giving up, remember why you held on. She was the only one who could see this through. Who _would_ see this through. For once, she was getting somewhere. The wood beneath her creaked, and even in the icy cold, the smell of fish hung in the air. This likely wouldn't get her closer to dealing with the White Hand for good, or finding out exactly what their grand plan was. Who said this criminal really was an individual? She already had one group of people who wanted her worse than dead, she hardly needed a second.

 _This is for Red_ , she concluded. _The same Red who's still getting rather cold_. All uncertainty was quelled. Advancing three boats further, she came across the one vessel that had originally aroused her suspicion. Even from a distance, it seemed slightly mismatched, and up close that was even more clear. The hull, while partially frosted, was pure white with a shine that no well-worn boat would bear. The ship was clearly longer than anything else around, with a slightly sharper prow. It was strange that no one noticed this, even with the weather helping to obscure the ship. Perhaps whoever left it here managed to pass some bogus information about it, and no one had thought it worth chasing up. Or was she just speculating? Elsa could vaguely see a name on the side, but it was obscured by a thin layer of ice.

Elsa couldn't reach it, not without risking falling off. There was one other option. Lifting her hand, she focused on the obstructive ice. In just a few seconds, it fizzled away into a bunch of snowflakes, revealing golden text. _The Magic Lamp_. The boat's name? Well, perhaps this was where Elsa would get her wish. The only problem now was getting on deck. There was no way to reach it without the gangplank, which was nowhere in sight. Nor was there anything nearby that could substitute. Except perhaps, her _power_.

Elsa steadied herself. It had been simple the last time, but now was different. She needed enough ice to hold her weight. Moreover, she couldn't be seen doing it. There may not have been anyone around, but there could always be a camera she hadn't seen. Creating a series of steps would be simplest, but would probably draw the most attention. Moving platform? No, too unnatural. Elsa looked around, pondering the best solution. There! A set of rungs leading down into the water. That's the kind of thing she needed.

This time, Elsa wanted to be less conspicuous. Did she really require hand motions to conjure or manipulate ice? Perhaps the direct approach to the question would be best. Elsa focused her thoughts on the hull in front of her, and one by one, the rungs of pure ice she desired began to manifest. It was exactly as she imagined, but it wasn't nearly fast enough. So, she extended her hand towards the boat. It seemed to have the anticipated effect, hastening the construction of the crystalline rungs. She would have to remember that in future. For now, she hopped forward onto the ladder she had created.

She made it. Step by step she made it up. She hadn't even considered the possibility that the rungs might not hold her weight, but they held. She climbed onto the deck, and willed away her improvised ladder. The deck was caked in snow, so it was difficult to make anything out. Upon further inspection, there was a small opening to go below deck. While this did make things easier, it also suggested the boat had been used, and recently. She hoped to contact whoever the forger was, but from a position of advantage, if possible. This could complicate matters.

She took a closer look at the entry. It was just about her height, and slightly slanted. She could just about see inside, where there were no signs of life. There probably weren't too many hiding places a possible occupant could be. After a few more seconds, just to be certain, Elsa stepped forward, grabbing for the handle. The door opened up, offering no resistance. She stepped inside, knowing haste was essential. Grab one or two incriminating items, and see if they're willing to make a trade. Assuming there even was anything here. This could still turn out to be a wild goose chase.

Or not. Suddenly, there was an all too familiar clicking behind her. "That's far enough." Elsa turned to face the voice, unmistakably male, but slightly higher pitched than one might expect. He had short, black hair which appeared to be styled into a short pony tail along with a modest beard. There was a slight browness to his skin, though it wasn't quite clear whether that was natural or simply a tan. More importantly though, there was a revolver similar to her own, pointed straight at her chest. "I don't know how you got up here, but this is private property."

Elsa didn't even blink. "The fact that you're pointing a deadly weapon at me implies this is more than simple trespassing laws you're concerned about."

The man gave a glare that Elsa was no stranger to. "Look, I know who you are. Miss _Fresia_. _Ex_ -detective. If it weren't for that little prefix, you'd be sporting a real big hole in your chest right now. I'm going to give you one chance to get off my boat and walk away. Or, your cold dead corpse can find it's way to the bottom of the sea."

Elsa stalled very briefly, but only for the use of the word _cold_ for some reason. "You're going to shoot me, with a gun that powerful? You really think nobody would notice that level of noise?" Even if it were too late for her, Red would certainly notice, and the police wouldn't be far behind.

The man stifled a growl. "Don't you get it? I could shoot you right now, and I'll be gone long before anyone can do anything about it." He pulled the hammer back.

Elsa's mind already had a solution. "So, you're really willing to kill me in cold blood. Should I infer that to be an admission of guilt?"

"I'm afraid you won't have the time." The man pulled the trigger. A tiny, high pitched clink was heard. Then- nothing. "What the-" the man pulled the trigger a few more times, but each attempt was in vain. Perhaps if he'd looked closer at the gun, he might have noticed that ice had formed in several key parts of the mechanism. That was far from his most pressing concern at this point.

"So, that's attempted murder, and what I can only presume to be illegal firearm possession. Would you care to-"

"Shut up!" the man shouting, dropping the useless gun and throwing a jab far faster than Elsa thought possible. Clearly, he expected to thrust right into Elsa's stomach. _Elsa_ expected it to hit her head on. Instead, it was blocked just short of its target. Immediately, Elsa realised what had happened. When she saw the attack, her powers had manifested, throwing up a icy palisade in front of her chest. Not only was the blow absorbed, the man had clearly hurt himself in the attempt.

"What the- armor?" The man asked. Elsa wasted no time, grabbing hold of the offending hand, pushing a tight grip and twisting his arm.

Elsa shook head. "I'll take that as a yes." She pressed harder. Not out of any real anger, but because it was obvious this man would only be brought to comply kicking and screaming. "Now, you have two options. I can call the police for the gun you have illegally, and we'll see what else they turn up in here, which is probably enough to put you away for a _very_ long time. Or, you can do one simple job for me, and we can leave it at that."

"And why should I trust you to- gah!" Elsa twisted his arm further. She was quite done with his stonewalling. "Alright, alright! Just let go already." Elsa relented, and the man slowly got up to his feet. " _Thank you_. Now let me through, so I can warm myself." He shuffled past her and closed the door, muttering something under his breath that Elsa could only assume was a less than savoury comment about her. He went around an expensive looking desk covered in all sorts of paper in the centre of the room, and took a seat.

"Okay, I need-"

"Alright," the man cut in, interrupting Elsa. "First thing's first. Tell me, how much do you know of my operations?"

"Not a huge amount," Elsa admitted, hoping to put him a slight bit less on edge. " It started when I was in the force. There was one case in particular, that nobody was getting anywhere on. Someone, or some group was bringing in forged documents and the like, at an unheard of rate. They had managed to track it to the docks, but there, the trail went all over the place. The criminal was running circles around them, always managing to remain two or three moves ahead."

The man gave a harsh chuckle. "The most secure city in the world? What a joke. Once you figure out the system, you can do whatever the hell you want, and no one will be any the wiser."

"Not quite nobody," Elsa interjected. That came across more as a boast than she intended.

"Right." The man started pacing. "So it seems there is at least one person in this city with at least two brain cells to rub together. So enlighten me. How _did_ you come this far?"

Now came the tricky part. "Well, that's the thing. You, too, had your own system, one that could be cracked if you just knew where to look. When you can't find anything, you instead look for something that should be there, but isn't. That's where the strange pattern appeared during the snowy weather. I wasn't certain it would be here exactly, but I knew you were hiding somewhere outside the city. So me and a friend came looking around the commercial docks, and, lo and behold-"

"You got _lucky_ ," the man interjected. Apparently he wasn't about to relinquish his pride from his little scheme so easily. "I still don't get why you came all this way. Believe me, I really want to just shoot you right now. So before my instincts get the better of me, do tell. What _do_ you want?"

Elsa reached into her pocket, and produced a bulky, white envelope, and slid it across the table in the middle of them room. "I'm here because I require your help. Or, to be more specific, my friend does. Consider that your advance, if you're at all interested."

The man snapped up the envelope and ripped the top open. It was filled with crisp bank notes. He inspected it closely, procuring a small eyeglass from seemingly nowhere. "Let's see here. What do you know. As real as it gets. No marks either. If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was _clean_ money."

"Think whatever you like." Elsa looked to the door. "I'm not forcing you to take it."

He quickly shook his head. "No, no. I'm just skeptical, is all. Even if this is all fake, no one can trace this, I'm sure of it. At least, they can't do it quick enough. So, tell me about this job. I'm assuming your _friend_ wants some new documents."

" _Everything_ ," Elsa corrected. "She has a _colourful_ past, and most of it isn't in her favour. I doubt there's anything you would consider an atrocity, if you care for such things, but nonetheless she faces dire consequences if she's convicted. I would be obliged if you could create the documents to help her start a new life."

For the first time, the man cracked a smile. "You know what, you've come the right person. But of course, you knew that already. I gotta say this is the first time I've been contacted so directly, like this. Hopefully the last, as well. But let's talk business. First of all, we'll need a picture of your friend."

Elsa froze. She hadn't thought that far ahead, not expecting to advance this far so quickly. Ah! There was something, though. She pulled her phone out, tapping through. "Here, will this work?" She showed a picture of the fake passport she originally used to help her track Red down. How long ago was that? How much changed since then?

"Good enough. I'll have to transfer this directly. Do you mind?" he asked, prompting Elsa to shake her head. It seemed as though they had the go ahead. Hopefully this man knew better than to try and cross her at this point.

"Who are you, anyway?" Elsa finally chanced asking. While not expecting a straight, truthfully answer, his reaction would likely provide some insight.

He thought on the answer for a moment, confirming her suspicions. "I suppose you can call me Gene. Gene Edwards." Just as she suspected, an alias.

* * *

After a few minutes of working out the preliminary details, Elsa finally disembarked from the Magic Lamp, this time opening up the side and leaving in a more sanctioned fashion. It was only a few steps later she noticed Red faced with a burly man in a blue sweater, and a head brimming with bushy, brown hair. He didn't seem to be threatening her, but that could change.

"I know, I know, I'm cold, okay?" Red explained, sounding a little exasperated. "But this is the best time to come out here. There's no one out here, the air is crisp, and not to mention all the snow covers up that _awful_ fish smell. I'd say this is the best time to come out here."

The man laughed warmly. "Ah, yes. That's true. Still, you should warm yourself, before you catch your death out here."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm just waiting for my-" Red looked to her right. "Friend. Elsa, there you are. Can we go now?"

"Of course. I believe I owe you a hot drink." With little more than a goodbye to the man, they set off back to dry land, and somewhere less frigid. "So who was that? And what exactly happened to my scouting the area story?"

"I kind of panicked, okay?" Red shot back. "I don't know who that was. But what if he asked me what I know about boats? I don't really _know anything_ about boats. I thought something simpler would be better. It worked, didn't it."

"Yes. Yes, of course." Elsa breathed. If there was anyone who knew how to use quick thinking to get out of trouble, it was probably Red. "Good work, anyway. I found what I was looking for. Otherwise, I would have come back sooner, I swear."

"So there was some good that came out of me freezing my ass off." Red laughed to herself. "So what now?"

"Well,since you're a wanted woman, we have to take more drastic steps. Red, it is essential you get a new identity. That's why we needed the assistance of this forger."

Red dead stopped, grabbing Elsa's arm and forcing her about. "Elsa, that's _illegal_!"

Elsa stared, nonplussed. "Red, I have a strong grasp of what is and isn't illegal, believe me."

"But, Elsa, I-" Red stammered, the freezing cold apparently forgotten. "Haven't you done enough for me? I know you said it was a risk to take me in at all, but that was different. You said you needed my help. This doesn't help you at all. If they ever find out about this- You're a good person, I know you are..."

Elsa faintly smiled, concealing her inner turmoil. She so badly wanted to believe what Red was saying, but couldn't bring herself to. She wasn't a good person. In fact, maybe she wasn't a person at all.

That moment, the one where she had a gun pointed at her. That was confirmation she needed. Even with sudden death staring her in the face, she felt _nothing_. She could have explained it away with the extreme trauma before, but now it was clear as day.

There was something terribly, terribly _wrong_ with her. It wasn't just the lack of emotional response. There was something else. She had, for a brief moment, entertained some darker ways of dealing with that man. In the end, she managed to bring him around, just barely. What if he continued to fight back? How far would she have been willing to go? It appeared there was nobody she wouldn't hurt to get what she wanted.

All, save one.

* * *

Elsa had spent the last few days coordinating her efforts to help Red shed her past. That, unfortunately, meant having to spend a fair amount of time away from her. Red, of course, had insisted that it would be fine, and she wouldn't get any more _ideas_ while Elsa was gone, but it hurt her all the same. Most of the time, they would be talking about the new identity Red wanted to set up. The other half was spent coordinating with Gene with all the information she needed to, communicating through a number of carefully established blind spots or dead drops. It seemed there were more opportune spots than Elsa ever realized. Perhaps Gene had a point about the security in the city. Perhaps it was something she could fix later. For now, there were other priorities. There was one other thing on her mind. A serious problem that became all too apparent after their last narrow escape.

* * *

"Hey, hey, don't let go of me, okay?"

"Relax, I've got you."

This was going to be the good kind of surprise, for once. To that end, Elsa had to ensure that Red kept her eyes closed, as far as possible. That made the revolving door a little tricky, but hopefully would be worth it. Hopefully, Red would appreciate the transition from warm to cold too much to notice the polished marble floor they were walking on. It was only a short way to the elevator. Fortunately, there was no one else inside. Moreover, Elsa knew there wasn't any surveillance inside, for the moment.

"You can open your eyes now." As she said this, Elsa pulled out a large brown envelope. Everything that Red would need, and worth every penny. Elsa offered it up. "Here, this is yours now."

She opened it up, and rifled through the papers. A passport, birth certificate, and an insurance card. There was even a bank card, expiring in just a couple of years. Presumably, an account was created with a bit more time added on for good measure. There was an impressive amount of attention to detail. "So, this really is it. I have a new life now." Red began tearing up a little.

"I've set it up so that you're an escapee from an abusive home. We can work out the exact details shortly," Elsa explained. That wasn't exactly a lie as far as she knew, and it would be in poor taste to probe too deeply into the exact nature of her past. With the quality of the work, hopefully no one would look too closely. "That's not even the best part. Check the back of the passport." Red quickly obliged. At first she didn't seem to notice the significance. It soon occurred to her, though.

The name. With this set of papers, Red Weathers was no more. Anna Solrig had seamlessly stepped in and taken her place. "You really did it, Elsa. Thank you- _thank you so much_."

"I hope you don't have any second thoughts on the name. I don't think we'll be seeing our contact again." Elsa was trying to take back control of her heart, which was beating out of control.

"No, it's fine. This is more than I could ever hoped for." Anna tried to steady herself. "I- I don't know if I deserve this. Can I really start again? Make something of myself?"

"I don't know for sure, R-Anna. I can only give you a chance. A _real_ chance this time. I'll be there for you every step of the way. As long as you want me to."

"Of course I want you to, silly," Anna whispered. "I don't know where I'd be without you."

That was a relief. Elsa couldn't bear the thought of Anna leaving. The world could be raining fire and opening up, but somehow she knew that she would barely feel a thing. She knew all too well all that even extreme physical pain would barely elicit a response from her. It was completely different for the girl standing next to her, even if she didn't understand why. Anna's voice gave her warmth. Anna's sweet smile gave her hope. The thought of anything ever happening to her filled her with dread. She didn't understand it at all, but at the same time she just couldn't give that up. Not for anything. Luckily, there was one more surprise Elsa had ready. As if on cue, there was a ding, as the elevator completed its ascent.

"Where are we, anyway?" Anna asked, as the doors opened to a bright, warm looking hallway.

They stepped out, and it was even clearer that this was a world apart from the hallways the pair were used to. "Well, Anna. I figure if we're going to start a new life, we'll need a new place to call home. A better place."

"What? No, Elsa. No way can we afford a place like this. This is, like, five star level. You can't be serious."

Elsa nodded. "I can."


	12. In Heavenly Peace

* * *

Anna. Her name was Anna now. It was going to take a while for that to sink in, even if she chose it for herself. Technically speaking, it wasn't an official change. Perhaps that was what worried Anna the most. Elsa was now perfectly willing to commit crimes, purely for her sake. Then there was _magic_ , or what Anna could only assume was magic. It all came down to her former employers, and what exactly happened when they had abducted Elsa. If she was willing to give Anna a whole new life, maybe Elsa would also be willing to talk about it finally.

It seemed as though her new papers weren't the only surprise Elsa lined up. Anna had an idea about where they were headed, considering it looked to be some kind of apartment block that was head and shoulders over their current place. It all seemed too good to be true, something she wished she gotten a better nose for a bit sooner. Still, as much as Elsa changed, she wasn't one to make jokes. So when Elsa pulled out a shiny new key and opened the door of number one-seven-three, Anna's excitement started to peak.

"After you," Elsa offered. Anna wasn't about to wait. She took the first step inside, and quickly found the lights. This place was a world apart from where they had been living not a few hours ago. The living area alone was larger than their whole previous apartment. Just about everything she could see was contemporarily styled, and all looked brand new. From the polished wooden floor furnished with a large, blue rug, a glass dining table and chairs, a white leather sofa set around a fireplace. Anna could even see a decently sized balcony, not that she planned to be out there too often this side of the year.

Anna turned round. "Is this- are we really-"

"You didn't really want to spend the rest of your life on a sofa, did you?" Anna was so lost in Elsa's warm smile, it took a moment for her to understand what was actually said.

"Wait, you mean I don't have to-" Anna trailed off.

Elsa motioned ahead, towards one of the doors. "Come on, let me show you." This was all getting to be a bit much for Anna. These past few days, she waited patiently as Elsa went about her business in town. Elsa was as quiet as ever, but this time, it felt just a bit different. There was a sense of purpose in her actions that Anna hadn't seen before. She just knew it. Now, she finally knew why. It still defied all belief. She couldn't let her nerves fray any longer, though. With a shaky hand, she reached for the handle and pushed the door open.

Really, it shouldn't have been that big a deal. It was a homey, if rather simple room. There was a double bed against one wall, a sleek glass desk, and a modest double window giving an impressive view of the city, and the harbour further out. There didn't even seem to be anywhere to put her clothes yet. Not to mention the walls were a boring white colour. None of that mattered, though. She knew what was going on. Why Elsa had beckoned her here. This was _her_ room. Not some dingy old shack she was forced to share with some kids she'd rather not remember. Not some dull, concrete hideout. Certainly not a shelter out in the cold where she hoped no one would find her.

A _home_. Something that always escaped Anna before, was now simply being handed to her. It didn't quite seem real. "Elsa, I, I- how can I accept this?" She couldn't even look Elsa in the eye. "You know I didn't earn any of this."

When Anna finally managed to face Elsa, she could tell she was still troubled, despite her soft smile. Suddenly, she held up Anna's hand, where the wounds still showed. "You got these when you tried to come after me, remember? I'll never forget that. I know you think you didn't help, but I think you did. Every day after that, you kept trying to help me, no matter how much I silently refused it. I don't believe I would ever have the courage to leave my room again without you."

"Do- do you really want me to have this that badly?" It wasn't so much she didn't believe in Elsa, so much as fate itself. The fate that had been so cruel to her for so much of her life. How could everything suddenly come up roses now? It seemed so unreal. A perfect new life with the perfect woman. She was all too aware of how her chance at happiness ended. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I just don't deserve this."

"Anna, life is rarely about what we do or don't deserve. Sometimes, you just have to do what you can with what you have." Elsa gave Anna a soft, yet somehow commanding look. "You spent most of your adult life as a thief. Tell me, why is it you care so much about what you've earned, or deserve?"

That question cut deeper than Anna would have thought. From anyone else, that would have been rather rude. "Elsa, it's- _you_. It's all you. When you saved me, when you let me into your home, when you gave me a _second_ chance even after I didn't really earn the first. Suddenly, I care about these things. For as long as I remember, it was all about the next thing, whether as a street rat, or as Phantom Red. About doing whatever it took to get ahead. But now I'm here. I finally have a life I'm happy with. That makes me want to be a better person. I _good_ person. Like you, Elsa."

Just like that, Elsa's smile started to fade, and Anna started to worry. Had she said something wrong?

* * *

The past few days were rather hectic, as Elsa had conducted the final few steps on setting up the new identity Anna needed, and finding a more suitable home for the two of them. Aside from needing a place a solid step up, along with a room Anna could call her own, she also wanted a place somewhat safer. Hence, she chose a place in a busier part of the city, not too mention closer to the police station she once worked at. Elsa also wanted to part with the money she received for her work not too long ago. With that in mind, Elsa decided to go for a quicker deal instead of attempting to haggle with the seller, though she made sure she had saved enough funds to last for the time being, hopefully until the current issues were resolved.

In spite of the total lack of downtime, or perhaps _because_ of it, Elsa had found it more of a reprieve than anything else, much as she would rather not be away from Anna and leave her at risk again. Every time she slowed down, much less stopped, those memories of what she had done came flooding back. The worst aspect seemed to be the cognitive dissonance arising as a result. When she performed these actions, she felt practically nothing, caring only for the goal in her mind. After the moment was over, she felt terrible regret over what happened. How was such a thing possible? Did she care about the damage her actions did? This question brought more uncomfortable thoughts every time she asked it.

So, when Anna once again asserted her belief in Elsa's supposed virtue, she finally decided to sit with her and share the whole, sordid truth. Or at the very least, the truth behind the events they had been in together. Elsa sat down on the sofa facing the fireplace, but Anna was slow to follow.

"It's chilly in here. Hey, can we turn the fire on?" Anna asked, apparently having bounced back from the conversation just moments ago.

"Huh? Oh, right, go ahead." Of course it would be cold given how no one was here before now. Elsa hung her coat on one of the dining chairs, as Anna tried to figure out the buttons to get the fire going. Soon enough, an authentic enough looking fire was going, and they settled down once again.

"So, what's wrong? You looked kinda spaced out, Elsa," Anna chipped in first.

Elsa sighed, and shook her head. "There's some things we need to clear up before we continue," Elsa explained. "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble. I just want to explain some things to you. You deserve to know the truth, not to mention we should probably be on the same page."

Just like that, Anna's energy appeared to fade. Then, it popped back up. "Do you really trust me now?"

Elsa didn't just trust her, she felt like she _needed_ her. But she wasn't quite ready to admit that, yet. "I believe it's for the best." Now to find out if she was right. "Let's start with our _second_ meeting, that time I tracked you down to that warehouse."

"Right, they knocked you out, then- then they-" Anna started to stammer.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up like that." Elsa had to look away. For someone who wanted to look out for the woman just next to her, it seemed she was rather awful at it.

Anna took Elsa's shoulder. "It's not your fault. That probably would have happened even if you weren't there."

Would it, though? Elsa stared into the ceiling for a moment. The men who were holding her said that Anna was being _disposed_ of for her failure. That being said, they were probably also sure that they were _disposing_ of Elsa as well. To say that backfired would be a monumental understatement. "Anyway, you were unconscious the entire time, but I woke up somewhat sooner than that. It appears they were planning to get rid of us, and I soon found out how. They chained me to what seemed like an altar, and they started this bizarre ritual. I was sure they intended to use me as a human sacrifice. They had five of the treasures of Albernon, and it looked like the ritual succeeded. There was actually what looked like some kind of gate to- _somewhere_ else. Not only that, there was _something_ on the other side, that could speak." When she focused her memory on the events, another possibility arose. That _being_. Could it have been the same one that took control of her body when Elsa was pushed to her very limit? That made the most sense, though that wasn't saying much considering how absurd this would sound to a normal person.

"Okay, then what did you do? How did you escape, anyway?" Anna asked, like a child being told a bedtime story. Only this one didn't have some brave, daring hero.

"Anna. I didn't escape. I was trapped. Completely helpless. I was certain that was the end for me. It was a simple twist of fate. Those men appeared to make some kind of deal with whatever they had reached out to, and I was certain that my life would be taken. Instead, the portal sucked all those men inside instead. I still don't know what their fate is. Suddenly, there was a blast of energy, and I felt deathly cold." Come to think of it, that was the last time Elsa remembered feeling cold. "The chains holding me froze then broke, and in the end I barely managed to escape with my life."

"Oh. I thought- I thought- I dunno what to think any more. This is all so crazy. So what, the stones are actually some kind of key to another world? A magical world?"

As crazy as Anna's conjecture was, there was still far too much that Elsa just did not know. At the rate she was going, she probably would never find out, either. "I hate to jump to conclusions, especially ones so- _unconventional_. There's no point in denying it now, though. I have some _abilities_ now. That night was probably the source. Which leads me the _other_ incident with the White Hand."

"Oh, right, _that_ ," Anna murmured. It seemed they were in sync for their disdain for that entire series of events. "I don't think I ever told you my side of that, did I?"

"Oh, I guess you're right." Elsa suspected Anna wanted to get that off her chest now. It wouldn't hurt to have some more pieces of the puzzle. "So how did you manage to follow me at all?"

Anna took a deep. "Alright, so I was kinda hanging about outside the apartment after you told me to leave. I was feeling so awful, I swear." Everything Anna could say about this was already said, but Elsa nodded politely nonetheless. "Then, suddenly, _I saw it_. One of the vans I used to ride in, along with one of those _people_ I used to work with." Elsa was worried about how Anna seemed to be working herself up, but remained silent. "For a moment I was _so sure_ they had come for me. Then they passed me by and went into the building. It was really you." Anna looked aside. " _Of course they wouldn't come after me_ ," she muttered to one side.

"I imagine they targeted me simply because they knew where I was located. They had plenty of time to figure out everything they needed to know about me. While they probably assumed you were either been taken back to jail or simply fled." There were plenty more explanations, but they would probably only serve to crush Anna's self-esteem further.

Anna nodded after a moment of thought. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Hey, do you think they knew you have magic powers or something?

"Woah woah woah. Let's take this one step at a time. So what did you do? I imagine you wanted to stop them, but you couldn't." That did bring up another pertinent question though. How much exactly did the White Hand know? Especially about what had happened at the supposed ritual.

"Right, right. So yeah, I knew I couldn't take them on. Even if I could call the police, I figured it would take them too long. It was- I know I probably shouldn't have done it, but I quietly followed after them. Obviously, they'd notice if I went into one of the doors, so I opened the hatch and climbed into the engine compartment."

Elsa nearly gasped. There were at least a thousand ways that could have gone wrong. That she knew of. " _Really_? Anna, you could have gotten yourself seriously hurt, or you could have inhaled something toxic. How was there even enough room?"

"Well yeah, that's the weirdest thing. The engine wasn't what I expected. There were all these blue lights, and it looked like some weird electrical stuff was going on too. There was also more room than I expected. Still, it was kinda really uncomfortable in there. I had no idea how long I was in there, but it made me all achy." Anna stretched her arms for effect.

Was that yet another advanced invention from the White Hand? What _couldn't_ they make superior to anybody else on the planet? More importantly, how did they get that kind of backing? As she already noted, this went beyond a simple matter of resources. "Okay, so you must have gotten out eventually. Didn't you think to contact the authorities?"

Anna's face went a deep red. Clearly she hadn't actually thought of that. "Well, I, uh- look, I didn't even know where I was! Also, we were sort of underground so I don't think I could have called anyone or anything. Also, I kinda get a little shaky at the thought of the police. _Sorry_."

"No, perhaps that wouldn't have helped anyway." Who knew what the White Hand would have done to anyone who tried to intercede. Perhaps it was best no one else was involved. "Anyway. Did you really believe that you could simply sneak through and find me?"

"Well that's the thing. When I checked that van, I thought I came into some luck. There was my old toolkit. I thought they had just left it there. But that was all wrong. It was all a trap. I couldn't do anything." Anna clutched her wounded hand. Clearly it wasn't any easier for her to remember.

"I see." Elsa considered. It was just as possible there was a kill switch on those tools just in case, but that was rather academic now. This inevitably brought them closer to the point where their paths crossed that day in the facility. To Elsa's rather grim rampage of death and destruction. She'd run this conversation through her head several times already, yet couldn't come to satisfactory way to express the events. Would hearing of how badly Elsa suffered make Anna feel her pain was no longer valid? Would she even believe Elsa's story that something seized control of her body? Or that in a rather twisted sense, Elsa had done all of that for Anna's sake? Seeing her watching expectantly, hanging on Elsa's every word certainly wasn't helping much.

 _No_. Once again, Elsa had to remind herself that this wasn't some complex calculation or mind game. She didn't have the heart to tangle some complex web of lies to try and fool Anna. Or perhaps she didn't have the practice. The most likely worry in the end was that Anna would have trouble understanding the truth. What if she thought of Elsa's actions as some sort of creepy obsession? Would she see Elsa the same way? She had been so, _so_ understanding, but even Anna would have some kind of limit. Elsa was no longer an ordinary person. Not by a long way. That being said, she couldn't lose Anna, She just _couldn't_.

"It's okay, Elsa. I mean, if you're not ready or, you know, you just don't wanna talk about it." Anna's voice started to crack and trail off.

Elsa took a deep breath. "Okay, it's- _okay_. Well, when I woke up, they had me tied down. It wasn't long until- well, there's no easy way to say this. They started to torture me."

" _No!_ " Anna gasped. "I thought they were bad before, but now- wait, so when I found those burns on your body-"

Elsa cringed slightly at the memory. There was a chance her skin would never truly recover. While the occasional discomfort and outright pain hadn't affected her as badly as it could have, it was always _there_. "Yes, that was part of it. They electrocuted me multiple times, amongst other things. I'm not sure how long it was, I believe my memories of it might have been affected. They didn't seem to make any demands, or even ask any questions. I think they just wanted to break me. Or to make me suffer. I held out for what felt like days."

"Elsa. Oh, _Elsa_ ," Anna seemed short of breath. "I'm sorry. If I had any idea- I tried to get you out of there as fast as I could. I- I never failed a break in like this before, I _swear_."

Nothing else for it. Elsa gently took Anna's hand, even if doing so would expose her reddened skin. "You did everything you possibly could. In the end, you got me back home. That _has_ to count for something."

"It wasn't enough. I should have gotten to you. If I made it to you, well then- maybe, _maybe_ you wouldn't have, you know-"

Elsa's heart skipped a beat. She already thought Elsa's actions were somehow her fault. _Because of course she does_. Now, things truly became complex and unavoidably painful. The choice between truth and comfort was one Elsa was all too familiar with. Only every time in the past, she had chosen for herself. How was it that personal suffering seemed to pale to the thought of letting someone else suffer? All she could do now was believe in Anna. She could only hope this was the right choice.

"This part isn't easy for me say, Anna. Not because I'm mad at you. I'm just- _unsure_ of what will happen when you hear this. For once in my life, I'm not entirely sure I understand." _Deep breath. You can do this. So can she_. "I was in terrible pain. I knew it would never end. As far as I was aware, no one outside would ever know what was happening to me, or be able to stop it. All I could do- was wait. Wait for something within me to finally give out."

" _Elsa-_ "

Elsa gently hushed her. She couldn't afford to lose momentum now. "That was not to be. They had something far crueler than any physical pain. They showed me- they showed me _you_. ON the floor. Hurting badly. _I could see blood_." She came close to losing herself in that moment. Only Anna's faltering expression kept her focused. "Then, _something_ happened. Something even I don't understand. There was something else. Something within me. Not physically. Something else."

"So, like a spirit or something?" At the very least, she had not collapsed into tears.

"That seems accurate enough. In any case, I completely lost control of my body. I was there, looking through my own eyes, and yet and the same time, _not_. I remember seeing that man that had hurt you. As I slowly froze the life out of him, I felt that last of my control slipping away." Elsa's eyes were distant again, unable to comprehend so many things.

"So, so- when you killed all those men. That wasn't really you? I don't really get it, Elsa." Anna shook her head. "Look, it doesn't matter, okay? Those men did horrible things to you, as you said." A twinge of rage crossed her face. " _And me too_ ," she muttered. "If what you said was true, they were trying to hurt you. And they'd never stop. Well- look, they would probably try to kill you anyway. The way I see it, you were just defending yourself. All those men were trying to shoot you. I _know_ they were."

Elsa sighed, all too aware of what Anna was trying. "It wasn't me killing those people. At least I don't believe it was." Though that did raise a question. Why _did_ that being, Glaca commit such wanton killing? Was it simply to protect herself? Or something deeper? "Even though I had lost control. I could still see all of it. _Feel_ all of it. Only I felt absolutely _nothing_. I run it through my head again and again. I know some of those men died in pain. Some were even afraid. I could see that so clearly. Despite that, I didn't care. Whether or not it really wasn't me doing it, I should have felt something when I witnessed such brutal acts of killing. I didn't. I cannot deny that, no matter how much I try."

Anna bit her lip, needing a moment to think all this through, not that Elsa blamed her. It was incredible that she was willing to take all of that at face value, really. Perhaps they had both, in their own way, opened the door to something much darker. "Wait, so you didn't feel anything when you controlled, right? But not now?"

"It would appear that way, yes." Elsa had an inkling of where this was going.

"So, what if, maybe that was only because you were being controlled, you didn't feel anything." Anna gasped, as though she was onto something huge. "Wait, what if it was like that so you wouldn't fight it? If you got angry, or scared or anything, you'd fight back and it wouldn't control you any more! So it _made_ you feel nothing. So it wasn't really your fault at all! That has to be it. Right?"

Elsa managed a smile, perhaps more easily than she expected. That couldn't be true. The incident on the _Magic Lamp_ proved it. Even if she _had_ been affected by the supposed possession, it really was a part of her now. A willingness to hurt others to achieve her goals. "I wish I could believe that. I've spent too long being careless. I don't exactly know how, but I've _changed_. Now- now there's a scary possibility. I feel like I could snap at any time, and now I could justify violence to the point of killing anyone. Even you might not be safe, Anna." Elsa cursed herself. She was supposed to be telling her the truth. Sure, the _possibility_ existed. There could be some circumstance where that could transpire. In her heart of hearts, Elsa knew she would _never_ allow that. She couldn't quite fathom why, and yet for once, she was okay with that.

"Would- would you really hurt me?" Was Anna hurt by that question, or upset?

"It's a possibility. That's all I'm saying for sure." That was all Elsa really _could_ say for sure. The truth was that contradicted so many things in her head. Only she could be absolutely sure of _none_ of it. There was an vast ocean of knowledge she didn't truly understand, and at this point the only word she could trust was that of Anna herself. Yet here she was, almost straight up lying to Anna specifically so she _wouldn't_ like Elsa.

 _No. If Anna is to like me, it has to be the real me_. _The me that doesn't have all the answers_. _The me that is far more afraid than I ever appear_.

"Oh." Anna's eyes darted about anxiously. "I guess there's only one thing for me to do." Had Elsa gone too far? She had certainly wanted Anna to stop seeing Elsa as some paragon of justice, but not to drive her away. Why couldn't she be better with her words?

"Anna, I understand if- if-"

"I guess I just have to trust that you won't hurt me," Anna closed her eyes and gave a warm smile. Her eyes were starting to water, even though she tried to hide it.

"Don't you understand? This isn't something you can just make a snap judgement on! This is very serious! You can't just decide this is a risk you're going to take." Elsa wanted to be happy about Anna's judgement. _So badly_.

"Can't I, though?" Anna laid her good hand softly atop Elsa's. "You said it yourself. It's either this, or spend the rest of my life on the run. Even if I don't get caught, I don't think I'll ever get another chance like this. If they do ever find me, we both know what will happen. But you, Elsa. I _know_ you'll fight it. That you'll fight for me. That's far better than anything else out there. Why would I want to leave when I just got here?"

For once, Elsa was at a loss for words. It seemed Anna was far more mature than Elsa gave her credit for. Or had these past few weeks changed her that much? Elsa couldn't deny her logic wasn't her finest, and yet Anna turned it around with such ease. "As long as you're sure, Anna."

"Oh. I see." Anna's brow furrowed as she processed Elsa's deceptively simple response.. "Do you really not want me here any more? Is this one of your detective tricks? Make it seem like I was _my_ idea that I don't want to stay here any longer?"

"I- no- look-" How was it _Elsa_ had been reduced to a pathetic stammer? "I don't want you to think I'm something I'm not. Or respect me on that basis. If you like me, that's fine. Just don't go treating my like I'm some kind of hero, or shining example. All of this- all of this time I've spent chasing after the White Hand. It's always been for my sake, nothing else. I've always doggedly pursued it these past couple of years. All so I could get some sense of closure." Dimly realizing she had begun to pace, Elsa wrung her hands as she forced herself to a stop.

"Closure? I don't understand." Had Elsa said too much? She promised herself to be more open with Anna about what exactly was going on, but these were things she barely wanted to think about herself. "Did the White Hand do something to you in the past? I know how that feels, don't worry." If only she knew. Anna cleared her throat, as if to say something important. Yet, she couldn't quite face Elsa directly. "Uhm, Elsa. You know, I never mentioned this before. You know, because you'd probably get mad at me again. When I snuck into your room, I kinda found a few things. Well, there was my old tool belt. Not really sure what you were doing with that."

Elsa gave a relieved sigh. "Oh, that? I was hoping to find something that could help me get some more insight into the kind of tech you were using. It seems they left nothing to chance. If there was some kind of beacon anywhere on there, I may have simply led them straight to me."

"Oh, okay." Anna was biting her lip. There was something else she saw. Something big. At least, that was what Elsa's intuition suggested. "Well, it's just, there _was_ , like, one other thing. It was this picture. You and some guy. There was some writing on the back. It seemed like you were friends or something. Did something happen to him? Was it the White Hand?"

Elsa froze, down to her very core. Of all the things Anna could have stumbled across, it had to be _that_. She should have shredded that photo. Burned out. Left no trace of it. So of course she didn't. It seemed for a detective, she couldn't cover her tracks at all. In the end, her twisted sentimentality got the best of her. "I- can I- can we talk about that later? Soon, I promise." This whole conversation turned out to be quite draining. Elsa's nerves still frayed, and her breathing was slightly off pace, no matter what she tried.

"Oh, yeah. That was a good talk, I guess. So, should we get all the stuff moved in here or what?" There was just a hint of disappointment, but if Anna was good at anything, it was avoiding dwelling on the negative

"To be honest, I'd rather take a rest. It's been a busy few days, and the delivery van's scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Maybe we can get some take-away?" Elsa's smile managed to return. She would just have to be cautious about taking her financial security for granted.

"Well, okay. But don't think I'm not helping move tomorrow. I- if that's okay with you, that is." How could Anna do that? Be so accepting? Just rolling with the punches? If only she knew how much Elsa wanted a gift like that.

* * *

Elsa had spent the past few days pushing herself hard to get things done. Now, it was Anna's turn. What she lacked in organisation and sheer brainpower, she would simply have to make up for with stamina, and a little elbow grease. Perhaps not as much as she had first expected. Most of the furniture was staying put it seemed, leaving only the smaller bits and pieces. Most of the actual work seemed to be packing things into boxes to be moved over. While Elsa had insisted on securing a few of her more confidential and _personal_ possessions, she had been more than willing to allow Anna into her now former bedroom.

For some reason, it felt so much worse than the first time she had chosen to come in here, even though it shouldn't have been a problem. Everything inside her told her she being stupid. If Elsa was there, she obviously would have agreed. Maybe she'd need another talk about this. Would Elsa mind that? She only had such much patience. Nobody really wanted to hear _anyone_ spend so long wallowing in self-doubt and guilt, much less her whining about it. She would just have to think about this less. Getting away from this place for good would be a start.

By the end of the day, everything had been successfully packed and unpacked. Anna thought she would never see the end of boxes, not to mention her back was starting to feel the strain. She didn't plan to be caught dead complaining, so she barely stopped throughout the day. Thankfully, nothing needed to be hauled up the hundreds of stairs to their new home, which would have almost certainly required a second day. She had left Elsa's stuff in their boxes (which Elsa had helpfully reminded her to mark as such) while she worked on the last of her own possessions, mostly the clothes Elsa had bought her. Was anything truly hers? She could probably count it with one hand at this point.

Once that was dealt with, things started to quiet down again. Soon, it was almost the same as the days in the run up to the move. Quiet. _Too_ quiet. Anna had been quick enough to assume the now larger housekeeping duties, but it still wasn't enough. There were only so many nooks and crannies, and she could only make them so clean. It wasn't like they needed any more food either, and she only had to go a couple of blocks to get it now. That meant less time out in the freezing cold, but it also meant more time sitting around. Elsa had apparently had some more things to chase up now they had settled down again, leaving Anna by herself for the most part.

How was it like this? This was supposed to be her big chance. She had come so far with Elsa, and now it was like that dreadful week of waiting for Elsa to come out to her. She needed some air, frigid though it may be. With a quick goodbye, she was out wandering the snowy streets.

It was strange. The good kind of strange. She normally detested the cold. Felt it as something to try and avoid at all costs, unless of course it was too hot. Perhaps, for example, if she was working up a sweat lugging heavy boxes around. Now though, it felt different somehow. Cold air flooded Anna's lungs with every breath, but that seemed to help set her heart at ease. With nothing else to worry about, she could finally take in the world. The streets however weren't exactly the best place to do that, so she wound her way around, looking for a place away from the lights and the traffic.

There, a park. Anna found a seat on one of the benches that wasn't too snow-logged. Fortunately Elsa had managed to pick out a coat for her that the snow wouldn't cling to. That was so like her. Always looking out for her. Knowing what was best. Anna gave a heavy sigh, watching her breath cloud up in front of her. Elsa really did know best for her in the end, no matter how Anna felt about it. No matter how _Elsa_ felt about it. How could Anna possibly believe Elsa would ever hurt her? She had seen what had happened first hand, but it sounded like the entire thing happened _because_ Anna was hurt to begin with. Did Elsa have some feelings that she couldn't admit? Anna didn't want to touch at that just yet.

More importantly, Anna couldn't spend her whole life depending on Elsa, no matter how much she had freely given so far. Elsa had her own life, and she probably wouldn't be grateful for what Anna had done forever. If not, she'd probably get tired of the whole mooching roommate act that Anna was effectively doing right now. This wasn't where Anna wanted to go with her life either, now that she actually thought about it. In their own ways, they were both responsible for Anna's first chance of fixing herself ending the way it did. There were no excuses this time. Anna had a new life. A new _name_. A clean slate as it were. While Elsa was never specific about it, Anna was all too aware that kind of thing didn't come easily. She had to use this chance to-

Something caught the corner of her eye. How had she not noticed it before? Or rather, how had she not realised what it meant? There, not too far away was a rather fancy clock tower. More specifically. The date. It was the twenty-third. Had time really flown that fast as things got hectic? More likely, she had lost track. Not much time left now. Still, better than no time at all.

* * *

Elsa's investigation went the same way it had always gone when she utterly lacked in any real leads: _nowhere_. It was a long shot anyway, and there were only a couple of things that she could possibly chase up at this point, at least until her hidden adversaries came out of hiding once more. Elsa was certain she hadn't seen the last of the White Hand, but for good or ill, her last brush- no, her last _two_ brushes with them had dealt considerable damage. No amount of technology would compensate for a loss in manpower, short of sentient machines. They could still have spies or bugs in the vast information network to keep track of the two of them. There was no way to be certain.

Nor was there any clear way to proceed. The only things of any clear substance where the changes to Elsa herself. Overwhelmingly, of course, her ability to create snow and ice at will, but also the drastic change to her hair colour. The latter turned up nothing of substance, even though it was fairly easy to find a sample of her hair from before the change from her effects. There was no real difference between then and now, despite all the chemical analysis that Elsa could practically use. It was as though her hair had suddenly decided to switch on its own. In spite of her other abilities, no amount of focus or willpower would change it to its original jet black, or any other colour for that matter.

The matter of her _powers_ , so to speak, was one far more complex than she could ever handle alone. However, to confide the nature of her ability with anyone else was currently unthinkable. On her own, she could only make some rudimentary observations about what she was currently capable of. Through trial and error, Elsa noticed some important points. Each one of them seemed more unscientific than the last. First of all, the ice she created really did come out of literally nothing, not simply any nearby water vapour. So that was the conservation of mass utterly defied. Furthermore, no matter how cold she tried to make her own ice, or how long she exposed herself to it, there was literally no effect on any of her body, not simply a numbing of her perception of cold. So much for her understanding of human physiology. Strangest still, was the seeming lack of limit to her ability. After an entire day of projecting her powers, she barely felt any real after effects, except for some vague faintness. While she had limited herself to the room she was in, being able to keep going for that long without any real drawback somehow felt the most unreal of all. It almost felt like a terrible waste to keep it contained within her new home. Almost.

That quickly fell to the back of her mind, as while her focus on her experiments had left her isolated from most of the world, Anna had never left her mind. In the few times she had seen her since the moving had finished, it was blatant that Anna was getting frustrated again. Unlike the last time, she hid it a lot better. Elsa severely doubted she would resort to anything too rash either, but she was spending a lot of time out of the apartment Elsa had sunk so much money into.

Anna needed more than simple purchases lavished onto her. She needed a goal. Something to focus on. To help her become the better person she clearly could be. Much better than Elsa herself. Getting her a new name and credentials was a good start, but Anna still needed a lot more. As always, Elsa had just the thing.

* * *

It was early in the morning. At least, that was what Elsa assumed. Every time she checked, it was another reminder of how much sleep she was missing out on. After drifting in and out of fitful slumber a couple more times, she finally forced herself out of bed. Usually, getting out of bed just made it harder to return later on unless there was some pressing need to. She could make out a faint light under the door to the living area. Probably not the source of her insomnia, but perhaps worth a look. Was Anna really up this early? Or worse, this _late_? She wasn't one to leave the lights on.

Elsa slowly opened her door. One of the floor lamps was providing a modest amount of light, and she could just about make out the area around the fireplace. There Anna was, lying quietly on the main sofa.

"Anna. Anna?" Elsa called out, gently as she could. Nothing. She was definitely moving. Had Anna really fallen asleep there? Elsa shook her head. Old habits died hard, it seemed. Elsa took a seat not too far away. Maybe this sofa would work its magic on her as well. No sooner had she started to settle in had she started to hear some noise from Anna.

"Ungh. Oh, uh, morning, Elsa," she whispered. Elsa wasn't entirely sure if she had disturbed her or not.

"You have your own bed now, you know. A room to go with it, as well," Elsa pointed out, sighing.

"Oh, yeah, I know. Sorry, Elsa. I guess I kinda dozed off. I was just so _comfy_ here I didn't really want to move." Anna slowly got out of her cozy position on the sofa arm. "I guess I'll head back now. Unless you'd like to carry me."

Elsa sighed. "No, it's fine. I got you a room so you could sleep somewhere proper, not so you have to. This life might take some getting used to."

Anna managed a sleepy smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Elsa. You- you know, I've been thinking about that. My new life, anyway. Well, I don't really want to sit around all day, you know? But, I can't really expect you to be around either. And this place, it can't really be cheap either." Elsa nodded, though perhaps Anna didn't realise she had bought the place outright. "Look, what I'm saying is maybe if I got a job or something, I could help, you know, pay for things around here. And I wouldn't need to sit around all day."

Did Elsa hear that right? Her approach was probably too direct, but it seemed Anna really had jumped forward a few years of maturity in as many days. "I see. Well, personally you might be getting ahead of yourself, there."

"Oh." Anna looked away. "So not a good idea?"

"No! _No_." Great. That came out all wrong. Elsa wanted to blame the fatigue, but somehow she knew she would have messed up regardless. "What I mean is we should take it one step at a time. I think it's important that you have some kind of education first."

"What, you mean like go to school? Yeah, I kinda never did finish school when I ran away."Anna was more alert all of a sudden. "Do you really think I need it? I mean, I can read and write and all that."

"Well, first of all I don't think going to a school is the best idea. If we're apart too long, especially in some kind of routine, _they_ might pounce on us. For now, it's probably best if I teach you what you need to know. I think I should have enough time."

"Wait, what?" Anna suddenly blushed. "I mean, _yes miss Fresia_."

That was only an idea Elsa had been toying with, yet Anna was already having ideas of her own. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I'll mostly just be finding the work you need to help you improve your skills, and helping you out if you find trouble. I still don't have a solid plan, but I think I can manage."

"It's okay, if you think that would be best." Anna suddenly let out a loud yawn, and relaxing on the sofa arm again. Apparently her energy had petered out. "Oh, hey, Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"Merry Christmas."

Elsa paled a bit. She had completely forgotten. Between burying herself in her work and the last Christmas she had celebrated being a distant memory, she had little cause to remember. There wasn't much point in pretending otherwise, especially as they didn't even have a tree. "Oh, that was today? I'm sorry, I completely forgot. You didn't get me a present, did you?"

Anna smiled, despite what Elsa clearly meant by that. "Don't worry, Elsa. I have a home now. And I have a future. That's the best present I could have ever hoped for." Somehow, that made Elsa felt uncomfortable. Not because of how cliché it was, but the lingering sense that Anna was completely dependent on her now. It felt- _off_ , somehow, and yet at the same time as though it was meant to be. As though what Anna said wasn't good enough.

"Wait a second." Elsa had a thought. Not the 'crack the case' kind, but something that would make this moment truly special. About a minute later, she had returned. "Anna?"

Anna let out a loud snore. Then, a small laugh. "Got you."

"I suppose you did. Here, merry Christmas." Elsa produced her gift, a knitted red scarf. She took the privilege of gently wrapping around Anna.

"Oh, wow," Anna gasped. "Where did you get this?"

"Well, I made it. Technically, it was before I met you." Elsa shrugged. "It's the thought that counts though, right?"

Anna ran her hand along it. "It's wonderful. I didn't know you could knit."

"I guess it never came up," Elsa admitted. "I guess that's part of the surprise."

"Oh, speaking of which," Anna digged into her pockets. She extended a closed hand at Elsa. "Here."

Elsa held her hand out, and something rather light fell into her hands. A silver locket. At least, it _looked_ like silver. There was a heart shape at the end, which looked like it opened up. Even though it wasn't too bright, Elsa could make out a couple of scratches on the metal. For once, she knew better than to mention it. "Thank you."

"Yeah, I know it's not great. It's all I really have left of my old life. The one thing left that was truly mine. It was from a friend of mine. Now, I want you to have it." It was a slightly peculiar gift. Was there some symbolism that Elsa just wasn't getting? It looked like Anna had spent a lot of time making it clean and shiny as possible.

"I suppose we both have something nice to wear around our neck now," Elsa concluded.

"Yeah. I guess we do." Anna let out another soft yawn. "I think I'll be getting the rest of my sleep now. You don't mind if I stay here, do you?"

She already told Anna wasn't a problem. Still, Elsa didn't want to simply say yes and be on her way. "Well, I suppose I could allow it. Only if I can sleep next to you."

Elsa could see how flustered Anna was all of a sudden. That was too forward. _Way_ too forward. Perhaps it was a bit much for a couple of friends to do. In their own way though, they were a bit more than just friends. Or perhaps that was just Elsa's wishful imagination. "Well, I guess I can't really say no. It's your home, after all."

That was good enough for Elsa, who choose not to look into what Anna meant too deeply. Except, perhaps, that she didn't agree with that last part. "So, should I just stay here, or,"

"Come on, don't be silly." Anna shifted her body about. "Let's snuggle up. Don't wanna get cold or- _oh_. Well, you don't want to let me go cold or anything, do you?" Was- was she inviting Elsa to _snuggle_? She felt oddly tense all of a sudden. How could she possibly say no?

She reached over and switched the light off, leaving the room in darkness. With the utmost of care, she managed to place herself beside Anna. So close to her warm, soft skin. Her tenseness evaporated, and they both drifted off back into a peaceful sleep.


	13. Methods of Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new lead in the case opens up, but somethings starts to bother Elsa

**Chapter 13: Methods of Madness**

New year, new me.

To Elsa's surprise, that was as much true for herself as it was for Anna. While her efforts to find more information that could help her continued to wind around in circles, she at least had a newfound personal life to take the edge off. Strangely, that was in spite of the fact that most of her time with Anna currently consisted of even more work.

The effort to assist Anna in getting educated had begun in earnest, at least to a standard school level. So far, Anna had been putting her best foot forward and taking the given assignments seriously as well. _Mostly_ , in any case. She had been making an admirable enough effort with the work, but apparently she had also decided that most of the work sheets were too plain for her tastes. Another talking point for later.

As she returned Anna's writing assignment over the dinner table, Anna's expression soured. Clearly she had noticed the original work was nearly unrecognisable from all the corrections Elsa had done. "Awww, what? I thought that was pretty good. How could I have made this many mistakes?"

Elsa looked down at the paper again. There was a lot of work to be done. It went without saying that is was still worth doing. "Don't worry about it too much, this was your first try. I can't imagine you've had much practice since you ran away. I'm not entirely sure what these smiling faces and stick figures of what looks like the two of us standing next to each other is supposed to add, though."

Anna rolled her eyes. "I got bored, okay? You said it yourself, I haven't really written anything for a very long time, and it's hard to stay focused on this stuff. _Sorry_."

Elsa laughed a little. "I suppose this is better than just abandoning the work half-way through. We still have a long way to go, though. If you can, make a point not to do this whenever any actual tests come up."

"Do I _have_ to do this?" Anna asked, groaning. "Don't we have computers for all this stuff, anyway?"

"You _need_ these skills, Anna. For one thing, you'll be filling out application forms, yes? You can't expect a computer to catch all your mistakes. Believe me, things can become a lot more difficult for you if they find even the slightest error. I know it doesn't seem important, but trust me on this." Elsa closed her eyes. This was slightly more parental that she might have liked, but Anna did have some catching up to do. Hopefully, one day she could truly call Anna her equal. One day. "Why don't we call this a day. Tomorrow, I'll try and help you untangle all of this. It won't be so bad, I promise."

"Really?" Anna tepidly asked. "Well, okay I guess. I just- I just don't feel like I'll _ever_ be any good at this."

Elsa quietly sighed. She understood how that felt.

* * *

Much to Anna's dismay, it turned out that the hard work that Elsa had mentioned was even worse than it sounded. She looked down at the work in front of her that she had just gotten back.. It all seemed fine when she had written it. Did people really care that much about whether the grammar was perfect or not? It didn't make sense to her. She had never needed it before. Perhaps that was part of a clean, honest living. Being a petty thief, or even a supposed professional thief doesn't give you a huge amount of transferable skills.

At least she could put it out of her mind for now. Or try to, in any case. Even with Elsa helping, she couldn't escape the feeling that what she did would never be good enough. She was just too far behind. Even if she could overcome that, how was she supposed to account for all those years she had spent stealing just to avoid starving? There was only so much her new identity could help her with, and she couldn't expect Elsa to hold her hand forever, either.

Anna knocked on Elsa's door. She still needed permission to enter, but that was a clear step up from an outright ban. She hoped that they could avoid any _misunderstandings_ in the future. Elsa could tell her a thousand times that what ultimately happened that day wasn't Anna's fault, but it would never fully sink in.

"Come in," Elsa's voice called out. With but a second of hesitation, Anna pulled the handle and proceeded through. It was every bit as prim and proper as Elsa's last room, though with a bit more money to it as well. Instead of a bland blue carpet, there was sleek hardwood flooring with a vibrant icy blue rug taking up the centre, complete with floral patterns. There was a double bed and a desk like before, only with more room between them, and they were newer and fancier looking. The less reminders Anna had though, the better.

Anna managed a smile. "Everything alright, Elsa?"

Elsa was at her desk, clicking something away. "Same as ever. I'm just trying to dig up any loose pieces of information on the treasures of Albernon. To be honest, I'm mostly going around in circles at this point. At least their original owners are still grateful to have them back, it seems."

Anna blinked. "Wait, they were returned? When did that happen?"

"Oh, right. I never told you." Elsa sighed. Anna really hoped that this forgotten bit of information was just an accident. Though that wasn't common with her. "After I barely escaped the ritual, I returned the treasures they used. Perhaps not the best decision in hindsight, as I could have used them to help the investigation now. I just wanted to help the police force save face after the successful thefts. All I got in the end was a lump sum of money to stay quiet about the whole thing."

"Wait, so all that money you got to get me a new name, and to move us here was from this deal?," Anna mused. Maybe a bit of Elsa really was starting to rub off on her.

Elsa nodded solemnly. She couldn't seem to face Anna. "Yes, that's right. Believe me, I didn't do it because I thought I would be paid. I was hoping that I could continue to participate in the ongoing investigation. Only the people in charge decided they wanted to close the book on the whole thing. So here I am." Elsa gave an exasperated sigh. "Fumbling about in the dark, hoping some lead will magic itself out of nowhere and help me figure this _bloody_ case out."

Anna leaned over and gave her a small hug. "Hey, it's okay. I know you'll figure it out eventually. Remember when you managed to track me down in a day, right before I could leave the city?"

"Even though you shot me with a rather painful dart that erased my memories, yes, I do," Elsa noted.

"I know, I know." Anna tried to think of something else to talk about. "Is there anything I can do to help you? Anything at all."

"Anna," Elsa started, finally spinning the chair around to properly face her. "You did the laundry, picked up some more drinks, and you still completed that work assignment for me. You're already doing enough."

Anna huffed. "Come on. Anyone could do that. I want to help with the investigation. I know what you're going to say. And I know that I've only gotten in the way before. And, well- no. Never mind. There's probably nothing you haven't thought of already."

"Why even ask, if you're just going to talk yourself out of it a moment later?" Elsa asked, rather nonplussed.

"I- I don't know," Anna finally said, gasping a little. "I- I just thought I could maybe help you, but- that never ends well, does it?"

"Oh, Anna." Elsa lifted herself out of the chair, and wrapped her arms around Anna. "You need to stop doing this to yourself, Anna. If you go through your life thinking you're sure to fail, that's all you'll ever do. You're not a lost cause, Anna. Not as long I still believe in you."

Anna wasn't sure whether to smile or cry. She looked up to face Elsa. "Well, really? I did so much wrong in that homework. That was just the last thing I did wrong."

"You can't give up just because everything didn't go exactly right the first time," Elsa gave a smile that Anna was sure would melt all the snow in the city. "Look how far you've come since the day we met. I _know_ you want to be a better person now, even if it hurts you. A _lot_. I've seen it myself. You writing isn't as bad as you think. Doodles aside, I'm very impressed you managed to get the whole thing done in one sitting."

"Thanks, Elsa. I just- all of this only happened because of everything you did for me. If you hadn't come along." Anna looked away, giving a rather distant expression.

Elsa laughed gently. "Don't think like that. Sometimes, people get lost, and they need someone to believe in them. See them for what they could be, not what they are." She looked out the window, where there was a gentle snowfall. "You used to have to live out there, Anna. In the freezing cold. It's hard to think about right or wrong, or improving yourself when you aren't even sure if you're going to eat any time soon. Don't worry about all the years you were going nowhere. Don't worry about all the times you failed, either. I won't hold that against you, I promise. Just be a better person than you were the day before, that's all I can ask."

"And- and you'll still let me stay here, even if it's not working for me?" Anna stammered.

Elsa gently wiped the tear away from Anna's cheek. "Do you even have to ask that? We're in this together now. Speaking of which." Elsa turned around and pulled out a laptop from her desk. "Here, I don't need this any more. You can use this now, once I've reset it."

"Oh, wow. Thanks." Anna glanced at it. There were a couple of scratches, but the top looked spotless otherwise. Of course it did, it was Elsa's. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Why don't you try and see if you can find any information on the Treasures of Albernon? I've searched a dozen times already, but there's a chance I missed something."

Anna nodded. "I'll do my best, I promise. I _will_ find something for you, okay? No matter how long it takes."

"Try not to stay up too late, Anna." Elsa sighed. "We still have your work to fix tomorrow, don't forget."

"I won't, I won't," Anna said, nodding. "I'll do my best, don't worry."

"That's all I'll ever ask for."

With that, Anna gave Elsa one last soft smile, and walked out of the room. She wanted to feel over the moon about this recent turn of events. Elsa had apparently decided they were on contact terms now, something that would have never happened otherwise. She felt as though Elsa would always be there if Anna started to lose her way. Yet somehow, it still felt _wrong_. Once again, perhaps Elsa's instincts were starting to rub off.

After they had reconnected after the _incident_ , Elsa had _changed_. Anna would never say this, but before all of that, there was always a certain coldness to Elsa's actions. She had been downright generous at times, but deep down, even Anna knew it was a means to an end, so to speak. That being the case Elsa had worked on so long. The moment Anna tried to become more seriously involved, that became clear. Then-

 _Everything changed_. When the dust had finally settled, Elsa had practically begged her to stay. Then, there was the likely insane amount of money Elsa had spent helping Anna erase her old name. _Her old life_. She hadn't actually considered that to be so strange. Elsa struck her as a woman who would stand on principle. Not leaving any debt unsettled for any longer than she had to. Regardless of Anna's own opinion, Elsa clearly believed she had owed her greatly. Perhaps what she did was for herself as well, but there was no denying she had done more than enough.

Then, there was that Christmas morning. Despite only being about half-awake, Anna remembered it very vividly. Elsa really had surprised her with that gift. She would treasure that scarf. The strangest part had to be when Elsa sidled up to her and they slept togeth- well, _next to_ each other. On its face, it was a sweet moment. On reflection however, Anna could not remember a time before that when Elsa had made physical contact. Definitely not in such a significant way. Now, Elsa was allowing her to get involved in her investigation without any objection. Even if it wasn't anything major. Even if neither of them expected anything to come of it. Something had to be up.

To search any further for the truth, though. That scared Anna. No, it _terrified_ her. It was weird. When she was Phantom Red, her whole life came down to sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Of course, she had a whole heap of assistance at the time, but that wasn't the entire reason this was so different.

Anna cared about Elsa. Though she still couldn't quite risk saying to herself, she seemed certain Elsa felt the same about her. To trample all over her privacy again would not just break the trust that they had finally started to build together, but it would _hurt_ Elsa. Regardless of the circumstance, It was ultimately Anna's decision to go where she wasn't allowed. There was no going down that road again, no matter how much Anna longed to know more.

She would have to wait, for now. Elsa was softening up, Anna knew it. It would only be a matter of time before she could learn more. Now, she just had to prove to Elsa that there _was_ more she could do.

There had to be _something_ that Elsa missed. Right?

* * *

There it was. Through a careful thought process, Elsa finally made the decision to allow Anna into the investigation in earnest.

At least, she was _sure_ there was a careful thought process. That was how she had come to all the main decisions in her life. Once Anna had entered the fray, that all seemed to evaporate. This wasn't a conclusion that she had come to willingly. It was far easier at first to simply find a deflection. Maybe Anna would start to mentally chafe from not being kept out of the investigation for too long. Or maybe there really _was_ some way that Anna could help. Nothing she could come up with seemed likely, given what she knew. Anna knew she just wasn't cut out for the detective thing, and was probably too afraid to risk another infiltration.

The only real reason she honestly couldn't debunk was that she didn't want Anna to feel left out, or to feel she was somehow talking down to her. There was a remote chance that Anna would somehow set her back from her years of hard work, or reveal something she shouldn't, even though she clearly had the best of intentions. Most likely, she would find nothing like Elsa had, get bored of it and finally admit she'd failed. Elsa would give some heart-felt appreciation for her efforts and perhaps offer to look over anything Anna had found, and maybe they'd bond a little over the investigation.

_Wait, what?_

With that one little hypothetical, it all became painfully obvious. Elsa cared more deeply about what Anna thought and how she felt than she ever wanted to admit to herself. That thought haunted her for multiple reasons. Could she _ever_ tell Anna about how she felt, given how difficult it already was to come to terms with herself? That wasn't even getting into how Anna would even respond to such a thing. She would never do anything mean-spirited, but would she accept out of politeness, or some sense of obligation or perceived debt? Where could they draw the line between who they were and what they had done?

Elsa clutched her forehead, sighing. She was over-thinking this, for sure. Her over-thinking had gotten out of a few binds in the past, but those situations were almost always logical and objective in nature. Her forté. By far. Even if she did take the wrong track, she could simply backtrack and try a different approach. If she said or tried the wrong thing with Anna, she could never truly take it back.

No point dwelling on it too much now. With just a little more luck than usual, it would pass with time. She had been dwelling on the issue in her room long enough. She was surprised to be greeted by her roommate as she opened the door to the main hall. Anna didn't seem to be the least bit groggy. That was just how it was. Anna was either fast asleep or wide awake. There was no in between to speak of.

"Morning!" Anna managed between bites of toast.

"Good morning." Things seemed normal. Good. Elsa knew how to deal with normal. "I trust you slept well?"

"Fine, fine," Anna said off the side. "I got to bed on time, don't worry."

Elsa nodded. "Good, good. It's important that you develop a strong routine. It's better for your health in the long-term."

"Yes, _mum_ ," Anna said,shaking her head and laughing gently. Maybe Elsa really had been exaggerating the extent of their relationship after all. "Well? Don't you want to know how my search went?"

"Oh?" How proactive. Elsa hadn't even gotten a chance to sit down yet. Something she took the time to correct now. "So, what did you find?" Elsa still didn't honestly expect anything substantive. Perhaps, if nothing else, Anna would at least gain an appreciation for the long and often unrewarding process of detective work.

"Well, okay. Maybe I didn't find any _real_ breakthroughs. I just thought I'd see if I could find anything that talks about the powers you mentioned- well, _have_." Anna shook her head. It seemed she was already second-guessing her own work. By the sounds of this, she had probably simply run into the work of some conspiracy theorists.

"Well, why don't you show me what you found? I'll review them when I find the time." Did that sound non-committal enough? If she sounded in any sort of hurry to read what Anna had found, it might appear suspicious. If she didn't even bother to look at it, Anna would probably fall back into her shell of self-deprecation. Best to just find out what Anna thought might have been interesting, and try to debunk it as thoroughly as possible.

Anna finished her last bite. "Yeah, thanks, Elsa." She turned her head around. "We are gonna fix that mess of my work, right? There were a _looot_ of problems." She gave a rather terse laugh.

Elsa finally pulled up a chair. "It's not as bad as you might think. If we take it one at a time, you should be able to understand what needs to be done. Once you remember everything you need to do, it's a lot simpler. I can explain it all, don't worry."

The next hour went by quicker than either of them expected. It really was as straightforward as Anna was led to believe, and dismantling the work error by error was a rather simple matter. Anna wasn't exactly wrong, though. There was a fair amount to get through. So much so, that all the comments were rather difficult to fit on the paper and the time they had spent hadn't nearly been enough to correct everything. If they didn't do it correctly the first time though, there was little point.

"That's it, we're done?" Anna asked as Elsa stretched out.

"For now, yes." Elsa wound her way into the kitchen. Even she could only ignore the pang in her stomach for so long. "Why not take a break. We'll spend another hour or so on the rest, then later we can go over what you've learned."

"What, we're stopping already? I thought that was going well," Anna complained.

"I need to eat too, Anna. I still have some other leads to see to as well. Don't tell me you don't want a long break." Elsa shuffled through the fridge and the cupboard. It was somewhat harder to keep track of supplies with another person around. Just something else to get used to. "You're welcome to go over what we've done so far. Try to avoid any doodles if you can."

"Alright, alright. I guess I'll see if I can't find anything fun online. I'll send you the links I found, alright?" Anna slid her plate into the washer. "Elsa?"

"What? Oh, right. Thank you." Anna had just moved into Elsa's personal space. That didn't really bother Elsa, though. Which _did_ bother her. "I'll-just- I'll be sure to-" Suddenly, Elsa was heading back to her room. Or perhaps _retreating_ was a better word. "You know what, I'll eat later. Wouldn't want to ruin my figure."

"But you never-" was all Elsa managed to hear before she closed the door behind her. Presumably, Anna had given up trying to speak.

 _What the hell am I doing_? That was the one thought that plagued Elsa's mind. Her precise, piercing mind seemed to lose its focus around Anna. Not all the time, or the previous hour would have been impossible to sit through. It was when Anna started to act in a certain way. Ways she certainly wouldn't have when they first met not so long ago. Could she really have grown so much, so quickly? Or was Elsa only starting to notice it now?

Right, the links. Elsa could spool through those at her leisure. Once she had gone through and failed to find anything, she could gain some much needed perspective on her would-be partner. For all Anna's merits, she could never hold a candle to Elsa in detective work. That was what mattered right now.

It was only two minutes later that Elsa got the message from Anna. Five links. None of the domains were familiar. Didn't look like any of them would have any kind of accreditation. Was that a good thing or not? The real question was did she want to be stuck chasing through the fog forever, or being upstaged by Anna in her own prized investigation? Elsa didn't understand. Perhaps that was why this felt so bad.

Nothing else to do, save check out each of these websites herself. Click. First one seemed more like a fan site for the Albernon expositions than any kind of study. Mostly speculation, including about the jewels "disappearing" over the last few years. There was one or two lines about the treasures possibly coming from some other world (probably what caught Anna's eye), but it was mainly conjecture.

Second one seemed slightly more promising at first. The formatting showed some more academic credibility than the site before. Once she read a couple of lines in though, Elsa realised she had read this one already. All the possible leads had gone into dead ends. So much for that.

The next one- _what was this_? This really did seem like a joke. The formatting alone looked over fifteen years out of date. The colour of the text almost seemed to blend in completely to the background (thank goodness for text highlighting). The font itself was a bizarre attempt at looking fancy that just made the whole thing even more difficult to read than it already was. Did Anna really make it all the way through this? Nothing much else for it but to attempt the same. She did however decide to copy the text elsewhere, lest it strain her eyes to read.

It was bizarre. The style of the writing was incredibly flowery, almost like a romance novel. However, the substance of the text was just about enough to keep Elsa interested. Something about it stood out. It talked about magic and gods like some others, but instead of another world, it rather cryptically alluded to another dimension entirely. Unlike everything else that went little beyond speculation, this asserted these claims with such _certainty_.

 _Almost anyone would laugh this off. Myself included. Does the writer of this really know anything_?

Once she got to some actual details about the supposed deities, any last doubt was dispelled.

 _Glaca_. There it was in the text, clear as day. Goddess of ice and the Northern Winds. There was no way that could possibly be a coincidence. Elsa could barely feel the rest of her body, save her pounding heart. Was there really someone else out there who could possibly know about this and be willing to help her- _them_?

At the very bottom of the page, there was a phone number. Landline only. Seemed this person was more old-fashioned than they first appeared. Would it even work? There was always a chance they changed their number, or the person in question wasn't around any more. Looked like an international number as well. No sense in waiting. Finally able to steady her fingers, Elsa started to dial.

The ringing tone was a mere backdrop to the race of thoughts going through Elsa's head. This really could be it. Someone- someone else who _knew_. Knew the actual truth. There was a lot that could still go wrong, though. Elsa still couldn't figure out whether she wanted it to or not. There were many uncomfortable truths she was not yet ready to face. Not all of them were about this case. Finally, an answer came.

"Mister Ambrosius, speaking."

* * *

Twenty-four hours had passed since Elsa had rather suddenly returned to her room. So much had happened since then, it had felt more like three days at the very least. Hardly enough to run Anna ragged, considering the trials she had been through not so long ago, but more than enough to seriously concern her. Once more, it was obvious that something major had happened. Yet, Elsa refused to explain exactly what.

The only thing clear right now was that whatever they were looking for, they needed to go a long way to find it. _Fast_. Well, that would be the most obvious reason as to why they were now aboard a aeroplane. That, or there was something that they needed to get away from just as badly.

Why Anna was here at all still left some doubt in her mind, though that may simply have been for her safety. There was no way of knowing for sure, though. Elsa had avoided saying anything that wasn't essential to her. Anna was basically in the dark, save for the fact that there was some kind of lead that they needed to follow. Had Elsa found something in the pages that Anna showed her? There was no way she could be sure. Elsa was holding her cards close to her chest. She probably just needed quiet, time to focus on her thoughts. That had to be it. Even if it didn't appear that way. Elsa seemed to spend an awful lot of time staring into the seat in front of her, but Anna didn't feel like pointing that little detail out. She certainly wasn't about to let Elsa catch her watching. Remaining inconspicuous was one of the few things she had picked up on the streets.

Elsa's blank expression seemed to continue even as the plane touched down and the found its way in front of the terminal. At first, Anna assumed Elsa was simply waiting for the other passengers, but it seemed that even after that wasn't an issue, she just- sat there?

Anna finally risked a glance in Elsa's direction. "Uh, Elsa? We can get off now."

"Oh, right. Let's go." They slowly got up and headed out. Once again, they returned to their rather uncomfortable silence, all the way to the hotel. To her credit, Elsa had managed to find a rather upper class place for them to stay. Not exactly gold-plated fancy, but far better than anything Anna had expected. Which was basically nothing. What Anna got was a fresh smell, two new looking beds with fancy looking covers. The bathroom didn't exactly have golden taps, but it looked expensive nonetheless, and was polished to perfection.

Anna sat on the bed, quietly watching. That was, until she could no longer remain silent. "So, uh, Elsa?

She needed a few seconds, but Elsa finally turned. "Yes, what do you want?"

It sounded as neutral as Elsa usually did, but it was clear something was bothering her. Anna hoped she wasn't the problem. "Well, I- you know, we haven't really eaten since before we got to the airport, so, uh- maybe we could go out, find somewhere nice to have dinner together?"

Anna flinched as Elsa suddenly turned away. Was it something Anna said? She never did get that. Was her request really so unreasonable? Or had she just picked a bad time? Elsa had never specifically _asked_ for Anna not to interrupt her, but-

"There was a place in the hotel, correct?" Elsa finally answered. "I'm certain you'll find something you'll like there."

"I- well, alright then." Seemed as though Elsa didn't wish to waste any time looking around. Fair enough. They had a big enough day ahead of them. If the cost didn't bother Elsa, then it wouldn't bother Anna, either. "Whenever you're ready."

The rest of the evening continued in the same, rather uncomfortable silence. On reflection, this wasn't the first time Elsa had done this. While Anna still trusted her completely, she truthfully had no idea why. Much as she didn't want to force the issue, it wouldn't do to just let this go on forever.

When they returned home. That would be when Anna would force the issue, if the need arose.

* * *

 _What the hell is Anna doing_?

That was the question that highlighted the schism occurring within Elsa's mind. Her logical mind, usually the one in control, scoffed at how ridiculous such a question was. The emotional side of her on the other hand, seemed to be throwing what could only be described as some kind of tantrum. Perhaps ignoring, or at the very least forcing it away for so long had certainly not helped.

Since the seminal event in the White Hand facility- no, even _before_ that, Elsa had cared for Anna, or Red as she was known not so long ago. Despite their differences, there had always been a certain kinship within their situation, both burned by the same shadowy organisation. It had been somewhat different then, though. Elsa had considered Anna her ward, someone she would protect, and perhaps help transition into normal society. Had she been mistaken? Or was she simply hiding behind a perception she wanted as opposed to reality…

"Ready?" Elsa asked. They were all dressed to head out, not to mention they didn't have too long to wait around. No sense in holding radio silence all day.

"Ready. Let's go." Anna had just about finished tying her hair. She now seemed to be trying a single plait, hanging off to the left. Without any further delay, they set off, towards the train station.

They probably didn't need an hour to reach the rendezvous point, but Elsa decided not to take any chances. Sitting around any longer than they had to would leave Elsa alone with her thoughts, which was the last thing she wanted, save perhaps talking to Anna again. She didn't feel she could do that without losing control of the swirling storm of emotions inside her. How long could she keep up the minimum contact, though?

As they embarked on the underground train, Elsa decided to focus her thoughts on what might lie ahead. This man knew _something_ , there was no doubt about that. Was he onto the truth, or was it mere coincidence? There was still the possibility he had simply found the name Glaca by chance, and there was nothing else he knew. That was the only thing that gave this lead any real credence so far, even if it alone was enough to warrant this spur of the moment meeting.

"Elsa." It was obvious enough as to why she had never the website before then. She had focused exclusively on only the most credible sources. Obviously, what this man had written never would have made it into peer review, much less past it. Hidden in plain sight. It was only because Anna had shown it that she had even bothered to read it.

"Elsa." Therein lay the source of her inner turmoil. Could she truly consider Anna a dependent? Anna had shown there were now things that she could accomplish that Elsa could have never done. Anna might still have a long way to go, but there was little chance her dependency would last forever. Elsa fretted over how she would think of Anna, if not her ward. Hence, the silence. The night before certainly didn't help matters.

It might have been a coincidence, but when Anna finally spoke to Elsa after they'd arrived, it sounded- it sounded like Anna was _propositioning_ her. It couldn't be, though. Could it? No. Statistics alone made it highly doubtful. There was only about a three to five percent chance Anna had any _interest_ in women, much less her. Besides, after the way Elsa had acted-

"Elsa!" Anna finally gave Elsa a firm nudge. They had arrived at their stop.

"Right. Excuse me." Without any further interaction, they disembarked and left the station. With a quick check of Elsa's phone, the two were off. They were in a suburban area, with avenue after avenue of terraced houses along with the occasional bare tree lining the pavement. By the look of things, they were heading straight to the man's home. Probably not the kind of person who left his home much by choice in general. Understandable. It was just a matter of having a conversation when her mind wasn't exactly in the best place. Easier said than done.

"Here, number thirty-six." Elsa pointed out the house. The front looked very unkempt, to the point of appearing abandoned. There were a pair of shrubs in the front that looked in dire need of trimming, along with a number of plants that were cropping up through any cracks they could find in the stone paving. Was he even around?

Elsa pressed the doorbell, and a loud ringing erupted. Old doorbell as well, it seemed. At least she didn't have to bang a knocker. Silence hung through the air for about a minute afterwards. Time that Elsa should have been using to prepare herself. Except she just _couldn't_. Anna being there wasn't helping her mental state in the slightest. There was no way she could risk leaving her behind, though. The sooner the danger had passed, the better. Absurd as it was, Elsa couldn't handle having Anna at arm's length like this for too much longer. A click came, and the door swung open dramatically.

"Yes," a rather wizened voice came through the doorway, accompanied by a man clearly getting on in years. His posture seemed ever so slightly frail, he had long, stormy grey hair, and a long beard to match that was almost as ungroomed as the front garden. He seemed almost annoyed, as if they were interrupting something important.

"I believe I spoke to you on the phone. Ms. Fresia, remember?" Elsa introduced herself. "We were supposed to meet today." They were a few minutes early, but no sense in waiting around.

The elderly man seemed even more annoyed at first, then a little lost. "Oh, of course I did. Well, let's talk, shall we? Come on in." The man retreated, leaving the two ladies to follow once he was clear. The moment they entered, it felt as though they had jumped back hundreds of years. The smell of dust and aged books hung heavy in the air, and the main hall had strong wooden hues of yellow and brown. The walls were lined with shelves and cases displaying hundreds of books, papers and various paintings that Elsa didn't recognise, looking almost religious in nature. Were they somehow linked to the information she sought? What they had travelled all this way for?

They proceeded after the aged man, into a study that, to the untrained observer, would probably look like it belonged to a history professor. There were even more books and sheets of paper here, only instead of being meticulously stored in shelves, many of them were open to pages, and strewn out across the polished wooden desk, or the floor.

The man stood in the middle, clearing his throat. "Now, you called me wishing to discuss my findings, my _encyclopedia_ , so to speak. Tell me, by what means did you discover the truth of the resonance between the Veil of forces between the dimensions?"

Elsa furrow her brow. "I'm sorry?"

"Aha! I knew it!" The man suddenly exclaimed. "I've dealt with your ilk before. People who come to my door claiming to be interested in the _truth_ of Albernon. Then they spit in my face, they laugh and mock me! I'll not suffer the ridicule any longer! Anyone with real interest in my work would _surely_ have read my work on _The Veil_ at the very least."

"Sir, I could not find any such work," Elsa quickly rebutted. "Several of the pages I found on your website were dead. I don't think you've checked or updated-"

"Excuses! No true academic would ever stop at such meager hurdles." He had lifted his hands in the air, as if posing in some grand performance. "Begone, the both of you. Now!"

"Sir, _please_ , we-" Anna started.

Elsa extended her hand in front of Anna. "I'll handle this. Sir, I understand that you might be skeptical. However, there is something I would like you to see before we leave."

The old man grumbled. "Make it quick. Before I change my mind."

This was an almost desperate gamble. Anywhere besides a old, discredited recluse's home, this would be absolutely out of the brief exchange had already appeared to make up the man's mind, though. But there was another reason why she was extremely reluctant. She would have to find a very dark place in her already troubled mind. What was a few moments of discomfort against a lifetime of searching fruitlessly? Time to do this.

There Elsa was. All over again. The blood of others filling her view. Her body not her own. Burning and crackling still fresh on her skin. Pain all around her. Most importantly, ice all over her body. With her intense focus, she projected it onto her present self. The ice coalesced over her. The plates over her arms and legs. The shining mesh covering her torso. Finally, a series of grand looking icicles forming a circle on her head, creating a makeshift crown.

" _No_ ," the elderly man gasped. He had a shocking burst of energy, scrambling through his collection of ancient books and papers. After a few more seconds, he managed to come across what he was looking for. A semi faded picture, one depicting a featureless person, adorned the same way Elsa was now. " So it's true. It's _all_ true."

Elsa was still dispelling the last of the dark memories still plaguing her. "So now do you-"

"Haha!" The man laughed triumphantly. "I knew it. I KNEW IT!" Elsa was hoping this would have an impact, but it seemed to make him at least twenty years younger.

"Careful, sir. You'll tear that," Elsa warned.

"Pfft! What do I need this for? I've seen the _real thing_!" He tossed the paper rather callously onto the floor. "Please, let me make tea. I feel we have _much_ to discuss."

"Of course." With another thought, Elsa willed away her icy garments. Best not to damage everything she was already wearing. The old man had already left the room, however. Elsa turned to Anna. "Well, we might as well get comfortable."

Anna nodded, and they shared a small sofa which was against a wall lined with even more obscure looking artwork. Elsa was intensely on edge now. There was the feeling of anticipation, but also a sting of unease. It was an incredible risk to just display her powers like that, regardless of the company. If there was anyone watching or recording- well, best not to ponder it. This man could be a goldmine of much needed information.

* * *

With each passing moment, Anna felt more and more like a spectator. That became increasingly evident when the man didn't bother to make her any tea. Not that she wanted any, but wasn't it the thought that counted? No point in complaining, though. Elsa had enough on her plate. Clearly.

"So, Mr. Ambrosius, was it?" Elsa started.

"Meredith, please," he corrected. "I'm quite certain you have many questions. But I must ask you indulge an old fool's curiosity." He picked up the paper he had tossed aside mere minutes ago. "On reflection, I'm not entirely convinced by your display just now."

 _What_? He was over the moon just a minute ago. What was this old fart's deal, anyway? How many other sources of genuine ice magic could there be? Let alone the way Elsa performed it.

"Very well," Elsa said. "I assume you want an account of the events that lead me- _here_. There is still much I do not understand, I'm afraid."

"My, my. It seems there is more beneath the surface than snow and ice. Very well, young lady. Tell me everything you can, from the beginning." Meredith stated before taking a sip of his tea.

"It's Elsa, please." Elsa cleared her throat. Here it came. Anna couldn't help but wonder if there would be anything said that even she didn't know. "As you may have suspected, I did not come to this subject entirely by choice. It started when I was on the tail of a criminal organisation. It seems they were after the Treasures of Albernon, close to completing their _collection_ by the time I was involved."

"Pfft!" Ambrosius spat. "Ah, yes. Read about that. Where I could, of course. Not everyone wants to admit they lose something so _precious_. 'Course, most those two-penny thieves just looking to turn a quick profit and all that."

Anna held her tongue. So close had she just come to admitting her involvement in the latest series of thefts. At the time, they were to be her proudest achievement, even if no one could ever know of it. How long ago had that been? She probably wouldn't even be able to reflect on such things if Elsa wasn't there. They'd come a long way, and now it seems Anna had somehow ruined things. _Again_. That's it. After the trip. They'd talk about it after the trip.

"These were no common thieves I was dealing with, that was for sure." Elsa shook her head. "I won't bore you with the details, but they had at least _some_ idea of the true nature of the jewels. They had a lot of tricks up their sleeves as well. When I tried to apprehend them, they managed to outmaneuver me. They had me hauled off to some altar up in the mountains, where they attempted a ritual with five of the treasures they had taken."

" _Five_?" Ambrosius cut in. He closed his eyes briefly. "I'll explain later. Please, continue."

Elsa couldn't help but ponder on his words, though. More and more things seem to contradict his understanding of things. _Someone_ had to be wrong. "Well, they chained me to these stone pillars, and began to chant around the jewels. I didn't recognise the language they spoke, though. The gemstones began to float and illuminate, and a light appeared. Some kind of being. It spoke directly to the men gathered there. Such that even I could understand it, no less. They spoke of some kind of bargain, I think they intended to use me a sacrifice. In the end, _something_ strange happened, and the all the people there were consumed by the light. All except me. Then, the chains shattered, and I was able to escape. Some time later, I _discovered_ I had been given the powers you just witnessed."

Meredith paused for a moment, then set his cup down. "Yes, yes, I see. Well, to be perfectly honest, Ms. Fresia, I'm unsure about how your story works out. You see, there are parts that just don't add up with how I understand this matter. That isn't to say I understand it perfectly, mind you, but I have been researching this topic longer than you have likely been alive. If what I know is correct, you shouldn't even be alive, talking to me here with your- _friend_."

"Don't worry about me," Anna cut in. "I'm just- a _friend_. Who happens to know enough about all of this. That's all." Her remark seemed to earn her a slight glare from Elsa. Had she done it again? Or was she not allowed to speak at all now?

"Nothing I said was untrue," Elsa finally said, even though there was a fair amount she had left out. "I know I cannot force you to trust me, but know I've put a lot of trust in you, with what you've seen and heard."

"You misapprehend me, my dear." Meredith starting looking through his collection of dusty old books. "I dare say I might be the world's only true expert on what I've come to know as the World beyond the Veil. Yet even I know that after generations of research, we've only managed to scratch the surface. Only those with direct contact ever have a chance of knowing the truth. You have shown me the truth- the _real_ truth for my own eyes. That is more than enough."

"So will you help me? Tell me what you know?" Elsa stood up. "I've searched for anything I could find a long time. It was only through luck I was able to find you at all."

Anna rolled her eyes. Luck.

"But of course. Allow me to summarise what I've learned as succinctly as possible." He opened one of the books to a page, showing the altar Elsa remembered. "Many, _many_ years ago, humans communicated with the beings from this other world. There were shrines located around the world, where humans would use power of the Treasures of Albernon to create a bridge between the worlds, allowing them to communicate with each other."

"So anyone in possession of the right stone could just contact these beings?" Even to Anna, it didn't sound that simple. Elsa was probably just moving the conversation along the right path.

Meredith nodded. "I assume you're humouring me. For you of all people should know what happens should you incur the wrath of these other beings. Though, not precisely. You claim the ones who abducted you were pulled into the other world. What awaits them there- who knows? Who _wants_ to know?" He flipped to a another page, one depicting people sprawled about amidst a white light. "I suppose it does make sense, in a way. You see, these otherworldly beings could choose humans to receive their _blessings_ to use in this world. Powers to die for. In some cases, literally. It seems that the beings would only bestow these gifts upon those they deemed worthy. Each being had a specific ritual, yet the same mantra."

Elsa rested her chin on her hand. "Yes, there was a mantra like I said. They spoke it in some ancient language, which I can only assume was the one that last civilisation that performed the ritual used. It seemed it wasn't necessary in the end, as the being spoke in a way we could all understand."

The man nodded. "From what you said, it's likely that these beings do not communicate the same way we do. Or perhaps they transcend our simple languages. In any case, I managed to get a rough translation of the mantra based on what I could find."

Elsa just stood there. "You managed all that? _How_?"

"Now, now, my dear. Every language is about communicating the things we need to. The world around us, what's in it? What's it like? What will we do with it? Once you understand that, it's only a matter of time before you can crack parts of it. Based on all that I and those before me could gather, not to mention _countless_ nights of toil, I've figured out the mantra goes roughly as follows." He straightened up, clearing his throat. " _God of beyond, pierce the veil so you may hear me, and I you_."

Elsa nodded. "Rather simple, though I imagine parts were lost in translation. Like you suggested, it's probably the intent that mattered." She looked aside, thinking this all through. "So these _gods_ as you say. What kind of powers could they bestow?"

"Ah, that's yet another mystery, I'm afraid." Meredith sighed. "Based on what you've shown me, it's probable that control of other primordial elements are possible gifts, but that still can't possibly account for all ten of the Treasures. I believe each one is tied to one of the beings. That is only a hypothesis, of course. I fear there are many questions you still have that I cannot hope to answer."

"Not at all." Elsa shook her head. "Anything you know, or have even theorised, could be of great use."

The two continued to go back and forth, talking about what they knew and what could speculated based on what was being shared. From one glance, Anna could tell that this was what the old man was probably waiting his entire life for. In fact, it was probably something he knew would probably never happen. Despite everything else, Anna couldn't help but be happy for this aging man. Dedicating all his life was not for nothing. This moment alone was well worth the innumerable years spent waiting for a single breakthrough.

There was one point in particular that the two kept returning to: why did the people of this world stop reaching out to these 'gods'? Was it something the people had decided, or the other beings? There was an idea pushed back and forth that whatever happened probably had something to do with how the knowledge became so obscure to begin with. Eventually, they realised they could only go round in circles about this issue, not being able to find a concrete answer.

"I suppose we should leave now." Elsa lifted herself out of her seat, after seeing the sky beginning to turn into a beautiful shade of orange. Not totally unlike Anna's hair. _Ugh_. "I hope we can keep in contact if either of us stumbles across anything else. Thank you for your time."

"No, thank _you_. You've given this old man another chance." He was starting to tear up. "Well, you'd best hurry before I make a fool of myself."

"Of course." With that, the two of them were off again, back on the same line they took to reach the house. They were back in the vicinity of the hotel, but they still had the rest of however long Elsa had this trip planned to be. _Joy_. Worse still, it was like someone had flipped a switch on Elsa. She could have talked to the man for days, but stringing together a whole sentence was too much to ask when it came to Anna. Then there was the way she spoke earlier. Like them even getting here had nothing to do with her.

Anna had read the articles she had sent to Elsa thoroughly enough. She might not have understood it nearly as well as Elsa, but she knew which one gave them this lead. After all that, Elsa wouldn't even give her credit. What was all that about?

"What's wrong?" Anna almost jumped. Seemed Elsa had caught Anna with the rather sour expression she was sporting.

"It's nothing." Elsa wanted to give the cold shoulder? Maybe she needed to understand how that felt.

Elsa put a hand on Anna's shoulder. "I-"

Anna jerked away. "I said it's _nothing_ , okay?" This certainly wasn't how Anna had planned it. She just couldn't put it out of her head. What had she done to deserve this? Elsa had-

 _There_. A woman. She had only noticed because she was looking away from Elsa. She was wearing a black suit, complete with black sunglasses. In the evening, no less. It was as though she had taken a class in looking as conspicuous as possible. In case that wasn't enough, the woman also produced a pistol, pointing it straight at Anna.

"Gun!" Anna shouted. Her mouth could move, but the rest of her body refused. She was frozen. Apparently, Elsa had no such problems. The next thing Anna knew, Elsa had thrusted herself between Anna and their mystery assailant.

The sound of the gun firing echoed through the air, and Anna's very soul.


End file.
